Guifi·net opta als premis European Broadband Awards 2022

Two Guifi·net projects preselected as finalists in two different categories of the European Broadband Awards 2022 by the European Commission 

It is an event that recognizes broadband deployment projects in Europe and highlights those that have been successful cases and/or have had an impact on improving population connectivity. 

The Guifi·net projects selected to compete for the awards are Erro Smart Valley (Navarra), nominated in the category "Socioeconomic Impact in Rural and Remote Areas", and the project Northeast Segovia, Spain (Nordesnet), nominated in the category of "Cost Reduction and Co-Investment Measures."

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Odoo • Text and Image
Erro Smart Valley (Navarra) is a project promoted by the Town Council of Vall d'Erro (Navarra) and the Guifi·net Foundation with the aim of improving Internet connectivity through a broadband infrastructure with a shared network model. This infrastructure, shared among different actors and operational for over a year, has had a very significant impact on the different nuclei of Vall d'Erro, where Internet and telephone services are offered through various operators.

The improvement in connectivity in the area has helped prevent depopulation and has shown that by closing the digital gap, it is possible to stay and work in remote areas away from major cities; ultimately, it has facilitated the daily lives of people, without discrimination based on where they live, and has promoted the economic development of the area.

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Archive photo: Erro (Navarra)
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Archive photo: Castrocerracín (Segovia)
It's the similar case for the project Northeast Segovia, Spain (Nordesnet), an initiative promoted through the Nordesnet Association, created to improve connectivity in rural areas and provide services, thanks to the councils of Castrocerracín, Navares de las Cuevas, and Cerezo de Abajo and the Guifi·net Foundation. The project has managed to deploy shared fiber optic infrastructure to homes in these municipalities, which have seen a significant reduction in their population over the last few decades due to lack of communication opportunities.

Currently, the service offerings and improved connectivity in the area are generating attraction and viability to settle there.

All the projects that applied for this edition's award have been evaluated by a jury composed of five expert individuals with a long and recognized history in the sector.

From the Guifi·net Foundation, being preselected with two projects is already considered a success and pride, encouraging us to continue believing, once again, that our intention to close the digital divide between urban and rural areas through a more sustainable and proximity model is not only possible but also has very positive impacts on the daily lives of people and the territory in question.

Guifi·net is not new to being selected for these awards; in fact, in 2015 it won the award in the first edition of the European Broadband Awards 2015, in the category "Innovative Model of Financing, Business, and Investment." In that first edition, nearly 50 projects participated, of which 15 were selected and 5 were awarded, including Guifi·net.

The winners of the European Broadband Awards 2022 will be announced and awarded by the European Commission at the awards ceremony, scheduled for the second quarter of 2022. 

Looking forward to knowing the ceremony date, you can check which other recognized and preselected projects from the 2022 awards edition at this link: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/jury-selected-finalists-european-broadband-awards-2022.

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Photo (ACN, 2015): European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Günter H. Oettinger, presenting the European Broadband 2015 award to representatives of Guifi·net.
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Sakananet, the joint network of Sakana (Navarra)