While many development plans are at a standstill around the world, some telecommunications initiatives are still being unveiled. Hungary, for example, has invited proposals for the funding of its latest superfast internet rollout initiative.
More precisely, the country’s Government Informatics Development Agency (KIFU), which works under the authority of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, has revealed the latest call for proposals for EU and state-funded high-speed broadband network rollouts under the country’s Superfast Internet Programme 2 (SZIP2).
The information was presented on the KIFU website (kifu.gov.hu), where would-be applicants can find out more about the plans, which focus on 100Mbps-plus fibre access deployments. Interested parties can register their applications for constructing 100Mbps-plus networks between 6 May and 11 June 2020.
The government has decided that the expansion and upgrade of networks is required for 62,000 households in 72 of the country’s districts.
The aim of the original Superfast Internet Programme (SZIP), running from 2015-2018, was to implement the network infrastructure required for minimum 30Mbps broadband speed in less developed regions.
Hungary´s Minister of Innovation and Technology, Palkovics Laszlo, announced the launch of SZIP-2 in November 2018. It aims to offer more than three times the bandwidth of the previous programme; its target is to ensure 100Mbps-plus network coverage to 90 percent of households by 2025. It will accomplish this by combining gigabit-capable fibre-optics with 5G fixed-wireless/mobile infrastructure.
