The Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, through the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures, has published the definitive resolution of the call 2024 of the UNICO Active Networks program, which will allocate 2,218,687 euros to continue extending 5G infrastructure in Navarre municipalities with less than 10,000 inhabitants. With this new investment, it is estimated to reach 3,470 people from 17 locations in the Foral Community. In Spain as a whole, 161.3 million euros have been allocated to extend 5G coverage to 326,000 people.
The central government has invested more than 1.7 billion euros in connectivity since 2018, so that 92 percent of households already have access to 5G.
The recipients of the aid were Telefónica, which will receive EUR 102.7 million to extend coverage in 1,116 locations, and the MasOrange Group, which will receive EUR 58.6 million to enable 5G in 845 locations. In total, the projects awarded will mobilise more than 195 million euros and involve the installation of 265 new communication towers in locations where these infrastructures did not exist.
In this way, the Government continues its commitment to ensure that ultra-fast communication networks reach the entire population, especially the smallest and most remote localities. 5G networks not only improve broadband coverage at high speeds; they also enable the development of new applications and services that strengthen the local economy.
Program UNICO 5G Active Networks
El programa UNICO 5G Redes Activas es una iniciativa pionera en Europa. It allocates European funds to finance active equipment and the construction of new towers that expand the territorial deployment of 5G with full functionality (Stand Alone) in small municipalities. The goal is to provide 5G coverage to locations where there is no 4G mobile coverage of at least 50 Mbps downstream, and where it is not expected to exist in the next three years.
This Program is funded by European Next Generation EU funds within the framework of the Recovery Plan. The first call for UNICO Active Networks 5G was resolved in July 2024. It awarded 508 million euros to bring 5G technology to more than 1.8 million inhabitants of small municipalities and 30,000 km of the road network. In that announcement, Navarra received 16,891,633 euros They allowed to reach a population of 92,973 people.