The Government of Spain, through the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, has once again given a good push to the objective of covering 100% of the national territory with 5G coverage. To this end, it has published in the BOE a new call for aid financed with European funds.
The strategy to promote 5G technology, whose main purpose is to lead the deployment of 5G in Europe, is one of the axes of the Digital Spain Agenda. From now on, rural areas will have an easier time accessing this technology thanks to new aid.
5G throughout the national territory
The Government has published today in the Official State Gazette the call for 544 million euros in aid within the UNICO 5G Active Networks program for the deployment of the fifth generation of mobile networks. These funds, specifically, will be used to promote the deployment of rural 5G throughout the national territory and thus achieve 100% coverage of this type.
These 544 million are aimed at operators that provide 5G service to provide active and passive equipment and infrastructure in rural areas that develop this technology in municipalities with less than 10,000 inhabitants where it does not exist – and is not planned in the next three years – 4G mobile coverage of at least 50 Mbps downstream. The aid is financed with Next Generation EU European funds within the framework of the Recovery Plan and the Digital Spain 2026 agenda. Its main objective is to help avoid the appearance of a territorial gap in the implementation of this technology by favoring its deployment in municipalities. More smalls.
“This pioneering program in Europe, the Government continues to promote the deployment of this technology that opens new possibilities for the economic and social development of the country, delving into the strategy of promoting territorial cohesion and generating opportunities and quality employment. Once we have closed the digital gap in fixed connectivity and are leading the deployment of fiber in Europe, as the Digital Decade Report points out, in Spain we are also going to continue to be at the forefront of this technology, which changes the mobile paradigm and generates a great opportunity in the Internet of Things, so that it reaches all provinces,” highlighted the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure, María González Veracruz.
The bases that regulate the call specify that these subsidies may be used for the provision of necessary active and passive equipment and, where appropriate, additional infrastructure such as backhaul, reinforcement of masts or energy, necessary for the provision of services. 5G SA, which is technically built on a new network core independent of that of 4G technology, as well as on frequencies in pioneering 5G bands. Applications to participate in the program can be submitted until October 31 at 1:00 p.m. at the Electronic record of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation.
Vetoes to China
The call is marked by the particularity of vetoing the installation of Chinese equipment. This fact has caused Huawei, Orange and Vodafone to appeal the rules order that regulates them, since they consider that the rules favor Movistar, since it is the only one that does not have any Chinese manufacturer as an equipment supplier, while both Vodafone and Orange have Huawei networks in several provinces.
The Spanish subsidiary of the Chinese giant, Huawei Technologies Spain, has filed a contentious administrative appeal before the National Court against Order 685/2023 of the Ministry of Economic Affairs “because it considers that it contains a provision contrary to the law and disproportionate”, in reference to an article included in the bases for granting this aid that harms operators that use Huawei equipment in their deployment of 5G networks in rural areas, reports El País citing company sources.
