Want to explore the quality of internet across Europe?
The European Broadband Mapping Portal’s interactive map not only allows users to visualise broadband coverage, Europe internet speeds and technologies across the European Union and in specific regions; it also makes it possible to view correlations between socio-economic factors such as GDP and population density.
For this reason, the portal is an important tool for public authorities seeking to close the digital divide that sets citizens, businesses and communities at a disadvantage, especially in rural areas.
In this video, Carlo Kammler of TÜV Rheinland explains the portal’s many functions, including the ‘expert’ version where ministries and regulatory authorities can download data for deeper analysis. This data is collected from both public authorities and private initiatives on a voluntary basis.
“For public authorities, this information is valuable for identifying ‘white spots’ and taking political measures to address them.”– Carlo Kammler, TÜV Rheinland
Europe internet speeds
‘White spots’ or white NGA areas are zones where “no NGA network at present exists and is not likely to be built within the next three years by private investors”. Taking steps to bring connectivity to these areas is a priority for Member States in order to reach the Gigabit Society objective of ensuring all citizens have access to a minimum of 100 Mbps by 2025.
The aim of the broadband mapping portal is to provide more transparency about broadband services to end-users. By presenting them with comparable data, the portal allows them to make more informed decisions about the availability of services in their region. This in turn could stimulate service providers to improve their services. Meanwhile, the EU mapping portal is also expected to become a key element of the policy-makers’ toolkit. On the portal they will be able to consult and compare data on broadband coverage, such as download and upload speeds. These data can be cross-linked with socio-economic indicators, such as population density, urban and rural regions, and GDP per capita from across Europe and within individual Member States, which in turn may inform future policy and regulatory decisions at EU, national, regional and local level.
The data that is not comparable is presented in two different views to account for the differences in definitions used by data providers. More detailed data of broadband mapping portals for each Member State is also accessible. An expert view for registered data providers also allows access to data with extended information.
The next phase of the EU mapping portal will aim to gather more harmonised data in line with the forthcoming guidelines on geographical surveys. More comparability of data will introduce more transparency about the quality of broadband services for users and stimulate improved standards in broadband quality. The broadband mapping tool will therefore become an important tool for European policy-makers and regulators, as they strive to make the Gigabit Society a reality for European citizens.
Explore the European Broadband Mapping Portal and find out more about the Gigabit Society objectives, as well as support for Member States in reaching them.
