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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

First phase of construction of digital networks in rural areas in Serbia begins

Topola, 4 December 2022

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic attended today the marking of the start of works within the project of development of broadband infrastructure in rural areas of Serbia, organised by the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications in a separate department of the “Radovic Sisters” Elementary School in the village of Zagorica, municipality of Topola.

On that occasion, Brnabic pointed out that this project is of great importance because it will enable all citizens of Serbia, especially those living in the most remote rural areas, to have modern access to the Internet.

You all know how much Serbia has changed since 2014 and how much money we strategically set aside for road infrastructure, which is very important for Serbia's economic development, but besides roads, which are the lifeblood, digital roads are also very important, said Brnabic.

The Prime Minister pointed out that it is very important for a balanced growth and development that our youngest fellow citizens stay in their communities and use their knowledge to develop even the most remote part of Serbia.

They need the right conditions for that. Citizens in rural areas will be able to use all electronic services, thanks to the project we are working on with the European Investment Bank, with the enormous support of the European Union, said the Prime Minister.

She stated that this entire project is worth €500 million, of which €250 million is the investment of the state, and €250 million is the investment of private partners of telecommunications companies.

Of the €250 million that the state is investing, of the more than €150 million that we secured for this first phase, in which we will connect 120,000 households to high-speed Internet, €118 million is a favourable loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and almost €35 million is a donation to Serbia from the European Union, she pointed out.

In the first phase, approximately 4,700 kilometres of optical routes will be built and will cover around 700 rural settlements, 120,000 households and around 730 schools.

The completion of the first phase is planned by the end of 2023, and by the end of 2025, 100 percent of the territory of Serbia will be covered by high-speed internet.