Contents

Introduction

Which are the practical applications of “broadband services” for citizens?

What is the starting point for Greece?

Τhe Plan for the Development of Broadband Services

Α. Actions for the development of broadband infrastructures

Β. Actions for the development of broadband content and services

C. Actions for the increase of demand

D. Provisions of the Law on Investments

The map of broadband services changes

Introduction

The Plan for the Development of Broadband Services (fast Internet) in Greece until 2008 is under progress in line with the provisions of the government’s Digital Strategy

The Special Secretariat for the Information Society of the Ministry of Economy and Finance has started to implement the plan for the development of “broadband services” in Greece until 2008; the actions of this programme form a part of the 2006-2013 Digital Strategy.

The term “broadband services” means:

• Infrastructure in electronic communications services for the fastest transmission of data, information and knowledge at a very low cost.
• Provision of very fast Internet connections to the wider public at competitive prices in the form of a commodity.
  

On the occasion of the recent approval by the European Commission of the mega project for the development of broadband infrastructures in the Region, whose cost amounts to € 210 million, the Minister of Economy and Finance Mr. George Alogoskoufis stated: “Out plan for the development of broadband Internet in Greece until 2008, is in full progress. Unfortunately, in 2004 Greece was ranked in the last place with regard to the sector of new technologies and broadband services.

The objective of the Digital Strategy is to increase the utilization of fast Internet from 0.1% of population in 2004 up to at least 7% of our population in 2008. For this cause, investments are supported and actions are financed with regard to broadband services whose cost amount in total to over € 450 million.

The government’s Digital Strategy becomes a reality every day with the aim to change the broadband activity map of the country”.

The 2006-2013 Digital Strategy provides for the development of broadband services through the Operational Programme “Information Society” as well as the enhancement of transparent competition within the market of electronic services including three large categories of actions with regard to the following:

• Development of broadband infrastructures,
• Development of broadband content and services, and
• Increase of the demand for broadband services

Which are the practical applications of “broadband services” for citizens?

Unfortunately, the term “broadband activity/ services” is abstruse and comes directly from the technological laboratories in order to denote fast speeds of data, information or knowledge transmission. It is reasonable for a large portion of citizens to not understand either this term’s meaning or far more its significance.

In fact and in every-day practices, the “broadband activity” forms a combination of infrastructures and digital (broadband) services offering citizens the opportunity for:

• Electronic transactions with the Public Services carried out much faster and with a safer transmission of data from home or from work (e.g. submission of tax return, electronic submission of certificates, etc.).
• Electronic financial transactions via alternative service networks (internet banking etc.) carried out more easily, fast and safely.
• Distant work via tele-work methods.
• Expansion of the market of enterprises for the disposal of their products and services worldwide via the Internet at a low cost.
• Electronic health services, electronic health care and social welfare services to vulnerable groups of population and residents of remote areas via tele-medicine networks.
• Information and entertainment. Watching movies with the option of direct selection from an electronic movie-library, selection and direct purchase of the desired music from electronic music stores, timely reservation of tickets for events, shows and sports matches, avoiding the time spent in queues, etc.
• Better and cheaper communication by means of video calls at no cost at all and so on.

What is the starting point for Greece?

In 2005, 23% in average of the citizens living in Europe was utilizing the benefits of broadband services. In Greece, according to the available data from the Observatory for the Information Society, in late 2005 the rate of penetration of broadband Internet amounted to 1.5% of population compared to 0.5% in early 2005 and 0.1% in early 2004.


The map of broadband activity is changing

The Plan for the Development of Broadband Services

Despite the significant increase of the use of broadband Internet in 2005, amounting to over 225% compared to 2004, and the even faster pace of such use that is now observed in Greece, the country needs a “Digital Jump” in order to keep up with the latest developments.

The recovery of the foregoing bad situation which is due to the concentration of long-year institutional problems mainly, cannot be carried out in snatches.

For this purpose, the 2006-2013 Digital Strategy provides for the development of broadband services through the Operational Programme “Information Society” as well as the enhancement of transparent competition within the market of electronic services including three large categories of actions with regard to the following:

• Development of broadband infrastructures,
• Development of broadband content and services, and
• Increase of the demand for broadband services

The cost of these three components amount in total to over € 450 million, they are interrelated and they are all necessary so as the country may gain the time wasted in the former years.

The objective is to increase the penetration of broadband services in Greece from 0.1% of population in 2004 to at least 7% in 2008.

2006 – 2013 Digital Strategy

The Broadband Services Development Plan until 2008

Α. Actions for the development of broadband infrastructures

Broadband metropolitan networks in 75 municipalities

This project relates to the financing -by means of € 59 million- of the development of metropolitan broadband optical fiber networks (internationally known as Metropolitan Area Networks - MAN) in 75 Municipalities of the Greek Region.

The networks that are developed in each municipality are financed only under the condition that they interconnect at least 20 spots of public interest. However, based on the approved proposals, in each municipality 45 spots of public interest in average are interconnected; for example: educational institutes, Universities, schools, Tax Offices, Public Hospitals, the buildings of Municipalities or of Prefectures, municipal libraries, museums, chambers, Police, Fire Brigade, etc.

The metropolitan networks of the 75 municipalities are in total more than 735 km long. More than 2,300 spots of public interest will be interconnected throughout the country via these metropolitan networks and the “map” of broadband infrastructures in Greece will totally change.

The development of broadband infrastructures will favor the growth of competition for the benefit of citizens. The project’s planning provides for the disposal of part of the infrastructures for private exploitation via the long-term leasing of the available capacity with the aim to cover the network’s operation and maintenance costs. The utilization of the networks after their construction will be made by an organizational structure to be selected by the Special Secretariat for the Information Society.


Indicative Metropolitan Networks with the spots it interconnects

Wireless broadband networks in 120 municipalities and 20 Local Associations of Municipalities and Communities

Complementarily to the development of metropolitan networks, the Special Secretariat finances with € 42 million the development of wireless broadband networks in more than 120 municipalities and 20 Local Associations of Municipalities and Communities. Within the framework of the same intervention, finance is provided for the broadband interconnection between the schools of the country and the pan-Hellenic school network.

By means of this action, the less populated municipalities are provided with the opportunity to supply wireless broadband access (e.g. via Wi-Fi technologies) to 10 at least spots of public interest, e.g. buildings of municipalities, museums, municipal libraries, regional surgeries, etc. The municipalities will utilize the wireless technologies to get interconnected with the “SIZEFXIS” network while they will commence to develop the networks from June 2006.

In total, this action will interconnect in broadband terms more than 1260 schools of primary and secondary education, more than 360 culture and sports centers (municipal libraries, museums, cultural centers, sports facilities), almost 1800 spots of public bodies/ agencies (buildings of municipalities, prefectures, Tax Offices, fire brigade, etc.) and 320 regional surgeries, health centers, and so on.


770 Internet Wireless Hotspots provided to enterprises

The Special Secretariat finances with € 21 million the development of wireless hotspots in accessible by the public spaces.

More than 770 wireless hotspots are already developed in almost 400 enterprises throughout Greece. Most wireless hotspots are developed by tourism and catering enterprises from all over Greece, contributing significantly to the improvement of the tourism infrastructure of the country.


Broadband utilization of the HellasSAT satellite

Within the framework of the plan for the development of broadband services, the utilization of HellasSAT satellite is financed for the provision of broadband services to islands or other remote areas of the country. Infrastructures of satellite connection and access systems are developed for remote spots of public interest, i.e. schools, health centers, military camps’ entertainment units, etc. so as the provision of broadband services (image, sound, data) to these spots is feasible.

Support of private investments in broadband services to be made in the Region

The Special Secretariat for the Information Society has scheduled in the course of 2006 to support private investments for the development of broadband infrastructures of local access in the Region (excluding the areas of Athens and Thessaloniki).

With a total budget of € 210 million the objective is to offer broadband services to citizens and enterprises to the largest part of the country as possible at reasonable prices.

Within the framework of this project, the country (except for Athens and Thessaloniki) will be divided in 7 equal areas, each one of which will form the field of broadband services’ development. The Special Secretariat will support the private investments in these areas so that the utilization of broadband Internet be maximized in the country, its penetration rate be accelerated and the region’s citizens be provided with equal opportunities of access.

Β. Actions for the development of broadband content and services

C. Actions for the increase of demand

The information actions include the implementation of independent promoting activities of small scale in 85 spots in Greece as well as the enhancement of the promotion of broadband benefits through seminars, Roadshow events and one-day conferences, presentation of best practices at a national and international level, etc.

Increase of broadband demand throughout the country

Within the framework of the project for the support of investments regarding the broadband activity in the Region, provisions are included concerning the increase of the demand of broadband services by citizens in order for them to acquire equal access to broadband services at a low cost.

Apart from the specialized interventions of the Plan for Broadband Services, a large number of interventions such as the “Digital Self-Government”, the actions concerning the development of Digital Services that are in progress, etc. intend to develop the appropriate content and digital services that will facilitate the citizens in their every-day life.

D. Provisions of the Law on Investments

The map of broadband services is changing