On Wednesday 15 December, the European Commission authorised a €610 million voucher scheme to help Italian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) gain access to high-speed broadband services.
The Italian scheme will provide aid in the form of vouchers to SMEs that subscribe to broadband services capable of providing download speeds of at least 30 megabits per second (Mbps).
It aims to encourage more SMEs to access high-speed broadband services in Italy, facilitating their economic development. Although networks capable of providing the broadband services in question are widely available in Italy, the available data show that relatively few SMEs in the country are turning to high-speed broadband services.
The vouchers will support increased take-up by SMEs by covering part of the cost of installing high-speed services and the monthly fee, for a period of up to 24 months. The vouchers can be used to subscribe to new connections or to upgrade existing connections, provided that the connections guarantee a minimum download speed of at least 30 Mbps and that the voucher is used to subscribe to the highest performing service available at the premises of the SME concerned. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)