Gigabit infrastructure act [EU Legislation in Progress]

Written by Stefano De Luca (2nd edition, updated on 20.06.2024).

The EU’s digital decade connectivity target is designed to ensure that by 2030 a fixed gigabit network of a very high capacity (1 Gbps) will be covering all EU households and that all populated areas will have 5G. This would enable the deployment of a high-quality digital infrastructure underpinning almost all sectors of a modern and innovative economy, while also ensuring that citizens and business can reap the benefits of the internet of things, machine-to-machine technologies, cloud computing and big data.

In April 2024, the EU co-legislators signed the Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA), a regulation that reviewed and replaced the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive. The regulation should facilitate and encourage the provision of networks of a very high capacity by promoting the joint use of existing physical infrastructure and enabling a more efficient deployment of new physical infrastructure, so that such networks can be rolled out faster and at a lower cost. The GIA was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 8 May 2024 and entered into force on 11 May 2024. It will be fully applicable from November 2025.

Versions

• June 2024: Gigabit infrastructure act (2nd edition)