Backbone Connectivity for Digital Global Gateways - Works

The objective of this call is to support the deployment of strategic networks as part of the Digital Global Gateway Strategy of the EU, contributing to strengthen the quality of connectivity within the Union as well as with third countries. This call is technology neutral. The applicants should justify that their proposal provides the best technology suited for the call objectives, which may include submarine cables systems, satellite infrastructures and connectivity to internet exchange points.

By supporting the targeted deployment of such connectivity, CEF Digital will have a positive impact not only on strengthening the connectivity capacity, but also on stimulating commercial offers of connectivity.

Access to backbone connectivity in EU Member States differs significantly. In certain regions a lack of adequate backbone connectivity may have an impact on the development of and service provided by access networks and generate possible imbalances in the prices of services, both for network operators in these regions, as well as for their inhabitants.

In particular, the connectivity situation for Member States that are themselves islands and/or have islands as part of their territory differs significantly from other Member States. For remote territories such as islands, Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries and Territories, the commercial prices and other conditions of backbone connectivity may hinder the full participation of citizens and enterprises in the digital European economy.

Furthermore, the infrastructures connecting remote territories may be subject to obsolescence problems, which put at risk the resilience of those regions, from an economic and social point of view, especially in case of insufficient redundancy and available capacity of other alternative infrastructures to connect the regions.

In such areas, market forces alone may not provide answers to all these challenges. As a result, certain areas may remain underserved or experiment higher prices in terms of access to backbone connectivity.

This topic will support the deployment of backbone connectivity for routes within Member States (including OCTs), between Member States (including OCTs), and between Member States (including OCTs) and third countries:

(1) where there is a lack of redundancy on a route. This is typically the case of routes which are not served by at least two present or credibly planned backbone infrastructures; or

(2) where existing or credibly planned backbone infrastructure cannot reliably satisfy the demand, taking into account, if necessary, any increase in the demand linked to ongoing or credibly planned investments in the upgrade of access networks in the territories concerned. The utilisation of existing capacity as well as the expected lifetime of existing backbone networks are among the elements that may be taken into account to justify such a market failure and the urgency of intervention; or

(3) where despite the presence of a backbone infrastructure providing sufficient capacity and guaranteeing the necessary redundancy, in the absence of credible plans from alternative operators to enter the market, the users in the served territories suffer (or could suffer in the absence of adequate regulatory remedies) from suboptimal services or prices compared to those offered in more competitive but otherwise comparable areas or routes. This could be the case for instance if the backbone infrastructure or a substantial part of it is in the hands of an operator which according to a competent national regulatory authority has significant market power in the relevant market.

Please consult the Call document for more information on the scope, including digital security requirements.

The expected benefits go beyond those directly related to supported projects and contribute to bridging the digital divide and ensuring widespread access to Gigabit networks for all EU citizens and businesses. Moreover, this connectivity infrastructure can cross-facilitate the implementation of other topics supported under CEF Digital, such as the availability of HPC-related facilities, etc.

Key performance indicators for this topic will include: i) the total length of the backbone or, for wireless solutions, the distance between transmission/reception stations, and ii) the additional (significant) transmission capacity created as a result of the projects supported by CEF. For submarine cables the number of fibre pairs, the current capacity per fibre pair, as well as the technology chosen and whether the system is repeated or unrepeated should be mentioned in the proposal, too.