The Results of Awarding the Grants from WiFi4EU ProgrammeNEWSBy the end of 2020, two more calls will be organized, including one that should be held at the end of this year. In the second round, 142 Croatian cities and municipalities have received vouchers, and in the first round 224, in the total amounting 5.490.000 EUR. ZAGREB, May 16, 2019 - After the second round of the competition, which took place from 4 to 5 April, the European Commission announced the results of the second call for awarding WiFi4EU grants. A total of 3400 municipalities will receive vouchers worth 15,000 euros to cover the cost of installing Wi-Fi access points in public places, including city halls, public libraries, museums, public parks, or squares. The local self-government units in the Republic of Croatia who applied for the call won 142 vouchers while 15 JLS were at the reserve list. In the two calls the local self-government units gave been awarded by 366 coupon vouchers, (EUR 5,490,000) in total, ranking Croatia among the 5 Member States where over 50% of JLS have secured value coupons for Wi-Fi equipment installation. The total budget for this call was EUR 51 million, and applications came from all participating countries, namely EU, Iceland and Norway. "We are pleased to see that the response of the municipalities to this second competition was extremely positive, with more than 10,000 requests. We will continue to connect Europeans, enabling them to enjoy the benefits of a digital single market, said Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel. By the end of 2020, two more invitations will be organized, including one that should be held at the end of this year. The WiFi4EU initiative is part of the ambitious restructuring of the EU telecommunications rules, including new measures to meet the growing needs of Europeans to connect and strengthen Europe's competitiveness. Within the scope of the first call announced in 2018, 2,800 municipalities were selected to receive a WiFi4EU voucher worth 15,000 EUR. For more information on the list of Croatian cities having won the voucher in the second round of tenders contact the following link. # # # For additional information please contact: Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM) Roberta Frangeša Mihanovića 9 10110 Zagreb, Croatia Tel. + 385 (0) 1 700 70 07 Fax + 385 (0)1 700 70 70 Media inquiries can be submitted online using HAKOM’s official website: Registration required. ABOUT HAKOM: HAKOM (www.hakom.hr) - Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries – ensures preconditions for a fair market competition, stable growth and environment for innovations in the electronic communications and postal services market. HAKOM protects users’ interests and the possibility of choice among various communications and postal services at affordable prices, defines sustainable competitive conditions for operators and service providers under fair conditions for return on investment, and provides support to economic growth, public services and the quality of life in the Republic of Croatia by using modern technologies. HAKOM’ strategic goals are: to promote regulation of the electronic communications and postal services market, to support growth of investments and innovations in the electronic communications and postal services market, to provide efficient use of limited resources, to accelerate the growth of broadband products and services, to provide affordable offers of communications and postal services, to provide protection and informing of users, to build an efficient and comprehensive information system, to define and implement efficient processes, and to acquire multi-disciplinary competencies in market regulation. |
 |
|
|