Castro Caldelas (Ourense), November 17, 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 program UNICO-Banda Ancha, which will bring the internet connection through optical fiber 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 achieve the goal of total connectivity of the territory in 2027.
González presented this new line together with the mayors of the municipalities of the counties of Terras de Caldelas and Trives, noting that this investment will allow to bring broadband internet to "almost 5,000 - 4,952 - homes of the counties, improving connectivity in 596 population centers".
This was expressed this morning in the meeting held in the auditorium of the Castelo de Castro Caldelas where he traveled with the head of Telecommunications Inspection of the province, Enrique Sanmartín, who informed the mayors and institutional representatives of the eight municipalities of the regions. - Castro Caldelas, Montevertio, A Teixeira, Parada de Sil, Manzaneda, San Xoan de Río, Trives, Chandrexa de Queixa - all the details of this new call for the Single Plan that highlights this commitment of the Government of Pedro Sánchez to meet the objectives of the demographic challenge.
The subdelegate took the opportunity to present the 2023 Call that has already been awarded to the company AVATEL TeleCom.
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 Deputy Government Delegate also highlighted the call for the Single Rural Demand Plan 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"