Polish areas, which are so far not covered by high capacity networks, will gain super-fast internet access (with speed above 100 Mbps) thanks to the deployment of fiber to the home (FTTH) network under a project financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) amongst others. The bank signed a PLN 600 million loan with Światłowód Inwestycje, a telecommunications company co-owned by Orange Polska, and the pension fund covering the Dutch public servants APG. Today, Światłowód Inwestycje achieved financial close and has now access to the total funding of PLN 3.1 billion, which includes the EIB loan. Światłowód Inwestycje’s network aims to cover 2.4 million homes by end of 2025.

According to the 2020 edition of the European Commission’s Digital Economy and Society Index, which provides an up-to-date set of indicators on digitalization and digital transformation for EU countries, Poland is among the least advanced countries in Europe with respect to the degree of digitization. In the last few years, the country has made substantial progress in assuring access to the internet. This is reflected in the above-average provision of very fast internet access as well as access to mobile broadband. At the same time, overall fixed broadband take-up is below the EU average with the gap widening since 2015. The low accessibility of access to fixed-line internet is particularly pronounced in less densely populated areas.

(WBJ)