14/02/2008

The Hellenic Ministry of Transport and Communications strategy to develop electronic services and new technologies was presented by Minister Kostas Hatzidakis, who described it as "the plan we should follow in the coming years so that we can contribute effectively, and in an organised way, to digital convergence with the rest of Europe."

The new strategy was created after consultation with EETT (Hellenic Telecommunications & Post Commission), other organisations, representatives of the business community, internet users, bloggers and online forums users. The Ministry also took into account the experience and practices of other countries, particularly those with similar geomorphological characteristics and populations, adjusting the data to the needs and particularities of Greece.

Reviewing the results of the last three years, mr Hadjidakis stated that: "a great attempt has been made to bridge the gap which separates Greece from the rest of the countries in Europe, with regard to broadband penetration. In 2005, when our broadband penetration target was 7% of the population by 2008, very few people believed that we would be able to reach such an optimistic target. This was understandable, since we started from only 0.1% in 2004. However, we have exceeded our target, achieving it far earlier than we had predicted. Currently, broadband penetration stands at 10% of the population, with more than one million ADSL connections. Demand is constantly increasing. The long-term objective is to continue to advance, and to compete for a position equivalent to that of the leading European countries in the field of modern technologies. This is also the philosophy of the National Digital Strategy 2006-2013, which was prepared by the Special Secretariat for Digital Planning.

The strategy for developing electronic communications and new technologies envisages Greece becoming one of the countries which utilise, develop and form the modern trends of the digital age, with the greatest possible benefit for the development, social cohesion and quality of life of the country's citizens. The strategy aims to boost entrepreneurship, to create new markets, investments and jobs and to improve the routine and quality of life of the citizens of the whole country. In order to achieve these aims, the strategy will be supported by two main pillars: creating a suitable institutional framework which will respond to the needs at the time, (utilising all available national and community resources) and initiating private capital investments. There are three axes to the strategy:

- To develop infrastructures so as to create "next generation access networks", and to utilise Greece's geographic position in order to become the main hub for transferring data from the Far East and the Middle East to Europe;
- To introduce and develop new technologies through the promotion of new legislative regulations and activities (such as developing alternative technology networks to serve the remote and inaccessible regions of the country);
- To pilot the possibilities of the digital age (by actions such as subsidising residential ADSL connections, providing satellite internet on trains, transmitting digital applications on public transport, and organising special events to demonstrate the possibilities of digital technology).

The cost required to implement this strategy is estimated to be 3 billion Euros, of which 2.5 billion Euros will be used to install optical fibres for at least 2 million subscribers. The budget will be covered by national and EU resources, although a significant proportion will also be contributed by the private sector, partially via the implementation of the law concerning Public-Private Partnerships.

In a Communication, the European Commission stated that it fully supports the aims of the strategy. It states that the Commission considers that both the installation of one optical fibre per subscriber in densely populated areas, as well as the use of wireless broadband networks, particularly in rural areas, is the correct approach and, in principle, deserves community support.

Source: Hellenic Ministry of Transport and Communications