28.10.2022
Broadband internet access available soon in Ludbreg and neighboring municipalities
Hrvatski Telekom, the leader of Croatia’s digitalization, has started building fiber optic infrastructure in Town of Ludbreg and the municipalities of Mali Bukovec, Martijanec, Sveti Đurđ and Veliki Bukovec. This will provide almost 7,741 “white” addresses in this area with fast (+40 Mbit/s) and ultra-fast (+100 Mbit/s symmetrical) broadband internet access. It is one of 13 projects under which Hrvatski Telekom will build a fiber optic network that provides speeds of at least 100 Mbit/s by the end of 2023, for almost 150 thousand new users in cities, municipalities, sub-urban, and rural parts of Croatia.
The project is implemented in accordance with the structural rules of the Framework National Program for the Development of Broadband Access Infrastructure in areas where there is insufficient commercial interest for investment. The total value of the fiber infrastructure construction project in Ludbreg and neighboring municipalities is covers more than HRK 35 million. Hrvatski Telekom will invest more than HRK 21 million in this project, while the remaining amount, almost HRK 14 million, will be co-financed by the European Union from the European Fund for Regional Development within the Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion.
This project will improve the use of digital services such as e-Citizens, e-schools, e-health, and high-speed and internet availability will contribute to the further development of entrepreneurship and the economy.
"Hrvatski Telekom, the largest private investor in the digitalization of Croatia, with average annual investments of more than one and a half billion kunas, continuously works to increase the availability of its services and connects everyone in Croatia with the opportunities offered by digitalization. By investing in this project, we provide residents of Ludbreg and neighboring municipalities with fast and high-quality internet access, which will ultimately increase the quality of life of the local population. The economic effects of this investment cycle are extremely significant since the increase in internet speed in local government units in Croatia leads to the establishment of new companies, the creation of new jobs, and an increase in the efficiency of public and private services", said Milan Meden, Director of the Access Network Implementation and Operations Sector at Hrvatski.
The Next Generation Access - NGA network that Hrvatski Telekom will build as part of this project will be open, which means that all other operators and electronic communications service providers will have open access to the networks and, just like HT, will be able to offer their retail broadband services to end users in the area which the project includes.
Dubravko Bilić, mayor of the Town of Ludbreg, said: "We decided on a model in which the public-private partner, in this case, Hrvatski Telekom, invests part of the European money in the network, and secures the rest with its own funds, builds a fiber network to every user, i.e., to every household and all citizens in the area of the former the municipality of Ludbreg should soon have broadband Internet of unlimited speed. We are democratizing and opening up equal opportunities for everyone to participate in digital content and the digital economy, which is increasingly taking up space not only in Europe but throughout the world. It's not just playing games, programming games, and developing apps, but simply life is moving into that digital part. This means that soon we will be able to fully integrate public administration into the digital world, you will be able to integrate radio, television, local television, and some local content. I think that in this way we will be much more accessible and as a community, we will become more democratic precisely based on digitalization, because it makes it easier for us to communicate with each other."
The fact that municipalities, towns, and cities in these projects select Hrvatski Telekom is proof that the company is recognized as a reliable technological partner and the best contractor to realize such demanding projects. As part of this project, the next-generation network will come to parts of the country where it does not exist, thus enabling all residents in those areas to use modern technology to create a better future. Hrvatski Telekom remains committed to its investment plans because investments in the infrastructure we are building are key to a new cycle of economic growth and broader societal development, and the digitalization of all parts of Croatia is a fundamental part of Hrvatski Telekom's social purpose.
*Residents from the area covered by the Project interested in having a connection on their building can contact the e-mail address: Prikljucak-Ludbreg@t.ht.hr