Fast broadband internet for all of Austria by 2030

In order to drive forward the expansion of broadband in rural regions, the federal government is making available 1.4 billion euros until 2026

A well-functioning, high-performance and extensive digital infrastructure forms the backbone of a society and business location. Telecommunications Minister Elisabeth Köstinger gave the go-ahead in mid-February 2022 for the pay-out of the second broadband billion, totalling precisely 1.4 billion euros. The budget for the broadband expansion is the largest there has ever been. The first call of 660 million euros is now open. Funding applications can now be submitted to the FFG in Access, Connect, GigaApp and OpenNet. These funds will be used in particular for the expansion of open access networks to further promote competition. The FFG will manage the funding process.

“Our aim as the federal government is to equip Austria with comprehensive, gigabit-capable internet connections by 2030. The second broadband billion paves the way to achieving this goal. We will be making 1.4 billion euros of new funds available for the expansion until 2026. This is the largest broadband funding budget we have ever had in Austria! Following intensive negotiations and the completion of the pre-notification process, the special directives were submitted to the European Commission for notification. This means that our new funding calls can start at the end of February,” says Elisabeth Köstinger.

In the course of the calls which ran until the end of 2021, over 1 billion euros of funding were allocated to approx. 1,760 projects submitted by over 600 applicants. The funding allocation process directly initiates broadband expansion in over 1,600 of the approx. 2,100 Austrian communities.