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State aid: Commission approves €120 million public support for broadband network project in the region of #Oberösterreich in Austria

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The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, a regional broadband scheme in the Oberösterreich region in Austria, aimed at promoting the deployment of a comprehensive next generation access network complemented by a next-generation backbone/backhaul network.

The objective is to guarantee broadband internet access speeds of at least 30 megabits per second (Mbps) in the first stages and progressively up to at least 100 Mbps for both download and upload. These access speeds can be upgraded to 1000 Mbps per second by 2033. The regional public authorities will be provided with a maximum state aid amount of €120 million, which they will use to deploy and manage the network through an in-house company. The new network will be deployed in areas of the country where no equivalent broadband infrastructure is in place or planned in the near future. Access to the network will be provided to third party network operators and service providers on equal and non-discriminatory terms.

The scheme conforms with the Digital Agenda for Europe and the 2025 objectives for high speed internet connections set out in the Commission's Communication on a Gigabit Society. The Commission assessed the measure under its 2013 Broadband Guidelines and concluded that the measure is in line with EU State aid rules because the positive effects of the scheme on competition in the Austrian broadband market outweigh any potential negative effects brought about by the aid.

More information will be available, once potential confidentiality issues have been resolved, on the Commission's competition website, in the State Aid Register under the case number SA.48325.

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