Internet

The European Union needs to invest at least €200 billion to reach the 2030 target for internet accessibility in Member States, according to writes a press release from the European Commission about the first “State of the Digital Decade” report. “The message of the report is clear. We need to accelerate our efforts to reach the 2030 targets,” Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said. The objective includes a gigabit internet connection that’s accessible to everyone and 5G networks that cover all populated areas. To achieve the fast gigabit speed, fiber networks are an important part of the package. However, only 56% of households in Member States have access to a fiber connection. As for 5G, it is available to 81% of populations, but in rural areas, coverage drops to 51% of citizens. /ritzau/