Ourense, September 26, 2023.- The subdelegate of the Government in Ourense, Emilio González, highlighted the new impulse of the Government of Pedro Sánchez to complete the ultra-fast digital connectivity of the territory of Ourense with the third call of the UNICO-Banda Ancha program, which will allow to connect to the internet via fiber optics to 1,283 families and companies in rural and remote areas of the province.
Emilio González has presented today the third call, already open, for the program managed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, through the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures. This line presents investments in Ourense of 2.9 million euros that will be used to finance the connection projects necessary to reach the goal of total connectivity in the territory in 2027.
González presented this new line together with the mayors of the municipalities of the Monterrei region, noting that this investment will allow to bring broadband internet to "more than 4,000 neighbors of the region, improving connectivity in 596 population centers".
This was expressed this morning in the meeting held in the hall of the House of Culture of the City of Verín, where he traveled with the head of the Telecommunications Inspection of the province, Enrique Sanmartín, who informed the mayors and institutional representatives of the seven municipalities of the region -Castrelo do Val, Verín, Monterrei, Oye, Laza, Vilardevós - of all the details of this new call for the Single Plan, highlighting this commitment of the Government of Pedro Sánchez to meet the objectives of the demographic challenge.
The event was also attended by José Manuel González, director of extension in the northern area of Avatel Telecom, company in charge of managing the implementation of the plan in the province, who highlighted as a common objective the implementation of the Single Plan of Government of both entities.
Investments of the call in the province of Ourense
Adding the ongoing projects to those that will be implemented with the current call, the Government will bring ultra-fast internet connection via fiber to 236,154 homes and shops in Galicia before the end of 2025. In total, the three calls represent an investment of 90.9 million euros.
In Ourense, 57,056 households and companies will benefit, for which the Government will contribute 23.6 million euros.
In Galicia, the government subsidizes 80% of the cost of the projects, which are an example of public-private collaboration, since the companies contribute what remains, until covering the entire cost of these actions. Projects must be completed by 31 December 2025.
UNICO Plan Rural Demand
The Subdelegate of the Government also highlighted the call for the Single Plan of Rural Demand that will improve coverage in remote and rural areas at an affordable price where for now there is no fiber connection, "allowing democratization and breaking the digital divide."
This program is possible thanks to the satellite technology awarded to Hispasat by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation and that will allow access to high speed in remote territories where fixed technology is not available at a price that cannot exceed 35€ per month . Emilio González pointed out that this is "very good news for a province with a territorial and mountainous extension such as Ourense".