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Telecom.IT: PM Ciolos: before the end of this year all 750 rural settlements included in the Ro-Net Programme will have access to internet
The running of the Ro-Net Programme encountered certain dysfunctions, but before the end of this year all 750 rural settlements included in the programme will have access to internet, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos stated on Friday at the end of a meeting with Minister of Communications and Informational Society (MSI) Marius Bostan.
"I had a meeting with the leadership of the Minister of Communications and Informational Society; we reviewed the priorities established until the end of the year. We discussed the improvement of corporate governance in companies under the Ministry of Communications. We also discussed about the Ro-Net programme. It is about internet in the villages. We have and we kept on having money from European funds. In the financial year 2007-2013 very little was spent. There were dysfunctions in certain sections. We are talking about 750 rural settlements that could benefit from internet. From what was done so far, we have 90 projects that are nearing completion and we set as objective to finalize the entire process and to manage to connect all the settlements to cables. These projects were halted especially on their way to being approved. There are local authorities that requested tens of approvals connected to this project," the PM explained.
Ciolos also stated that the agenda of the meeting held at the MCSI headquarters included the National Strategy for the Digital Agenda. "We then discussed the Digital Agenda, which is a priority for Romania and for any government. There are systems, informational platforms for more ministers that provide public services, such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Culture for which we want investments from European funds. We had a discussion about the cybernetic security system, where Romania still has weaknesses. We shall see what measures we can take this year on this field," he said.
The debut of the Ro-Net programme, co-financed through the European Regional Development Fund, with a total value of 377.8 million lei, with 252.28 million lei representing non-reimbursable financial assistance, was announced in mid-January 2015 by the relevant minister.
The distribution network is projected to have 4,900 kilometres in length and should have been completed in December 2015.
The two operators designated to implement the project until December 31, 2015, following a tender organised by MSI are Telekom Communication and Telekom Mobile.
Beginning November 2014, the European Commission approved the financial contribution for the Ro-Net programme, valued at approximately 85.6 million euros, whose end purpose is to provide broadband internet to 783 settlements identified as "white areas."