The European Commission has signed grant agreements with 37 projects selected under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Digital) programme’s second call for proposals, European Union Extermal Action reports.
252 million euros will be distributed among projects deploying 5G infrastructure for local communities and along major European transport corridors. Projects to deploy submarine cables and improve the security and resilience of backbone networks within and across the EU will also receive funding.
The grants will support a direct trans-Arctic link between the EU and the Far East, provide high-capacity communications infrastructure to Greek islands in the Mediterranean Sea that are underserved by digital technologies, and strengthen connectivity to Africa. The EU will also co-finance the deployment of maritime cables to provide better connectivity between Ireland and the EU mainland, and between the EU and its marginal regions in the Atlantic Ocean.
Among the funded projects, the EU will also support future-proof 5G infrastructure on cross-border motorways, roads, railways and inland waterways. 5G corridor projects will pave the way for connected and automated mobility (CAM) and related safety and non-safety services, ensuring continuity of cross-border services.
