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The act replaces the broadband cost-reducing directive passed in 2014
The European Council has passed the Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA), which aims to simplify and accelerate the roll out of high speed networks like fibre and 5G to meet Europe’s connectivity objectives.
The GIA was first proposed by the European Commission in February 2023, with the legislation aimed at reducing the costs of deploying gigabit-capable networks and simplifying the rollout process.
It is part of the EU’s wider goal of deploying gigabit-capable infrastructure across the EU by 2030, in line with the EU’s Digital Decade programme. By this date, the EU wants all European households to be covered by a gigabit network, and all populated areas covered by 5G networks.
It is hoped that by unifying the network deployment regulations across EU member states, the GIA will promote economies of scale for both operators and businesses.
But while the GIA should allow for faster network rollouts (at least, once fully enforced by member states in 18 months’ time), the decision is not without controversy.
In February this year, industry groups representing European operators (ETNO, ECTA, the GSMA, and GigaEurope) released a joint statement warning that the act would damage both the companies and the wider sector due to greater regulatory pressures.
The statement read that the act is a “a measure that penalises telecoms operators, without producing any real benefit in terms of administrative simplification.”
The new regulation will be published in the EU’s Official Journal in the next few days, and will enter into force three days after that. The law will be implemented in around 18 months.
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