en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Spanish government has launched a €17.9 million aid program to promote the deployment of 5G Standalone (5G SA) technology in remote rural areas. The initiative, named "5G Redes muy rurales" (5G Very Rural Networks), has been published in the Spanish Official State Gazette (BOE), with applications closing on September 10.
According to the 2025 Broadband Coverage Report, 99% of Spain's population already enjoys 5G coverage, an increase of more than 40 percentage points since 2021. The growth in rural areas has been even more pronounced, with 5G coverage rising from 26% to 96%, a gain of 70 percentage points. However, in these areas, coverage of the 5G Standalone version (5G SA) is slightly lower, at 91.22%. Following significant progress in fiber optic access, equipping small towns in sparsely populated or "hollowed-out" areas with 5G infrastructure has been one of the main demands of local operators.
The target areas for this aid program are regions where no operator currently provides 4G or 5G coverage and where no deployment plans exist within the next three years. These areas were identified through a public consultation conducted in March of this year. Of the program's funding, €15.6 million comes from the Spanish Multi-Regional European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2021-2027 program, with the remainder covered by the national budget.
The program is open to collaboration from autonomous communities, local entities, and other public bodies, aiming to incentivize operators to invest in remote areas. In June of this year, these entities could submit plots, existing sites, new locations suitable for equipment installation, or other advantageous conditions through a public consultation, provided their territories fall within eligible areas. According to the Spanish Secretariat of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure (SETELECO), the public consultation received proposals from 96 municipalities across 25 provinces throughout Spain. This information has been made available to telecom operators for consideration in their deployment projects, although operators are not obliged to use only these sites.
Additionally, the foundational decree of the initiative provides for the establishment of a reserve pool. Operators receiving aid may replace originally designated sites with those from the reserve pool in the event of unforeseen circumstances beyond their control that hinder project execution; the reserve pool is also available to other administrative bodies to carry out connectivity plans in eligible areas not covered by the "5G Redes muy rurales" program.
