Deployment of High-speed Broadband Infrastructures during the Economic Crisis. The case of Regional Governments in Spain

This paper reviews the Spanish situation regarding Next Generation Networks (NGNs) and analyzes some public initiatives undertaken by regional governments. The paper focuses on “Xarxa Oberta”, a public-private project to deploy NGNs in Catalonia that may be especially attractive for countries and regions with severe budget constraints. Its main features are the following: i) the project focuses on the availability of advanced public services to the population rather than in bringing fibre to the homes; ii) “Xarxa Oberta” is designed as an open and neutral network which according to the Commission is compatible with the “Broadband Guidelines”, and may even foster private investment in last mile infrastructure; iii) the finance strategy relies on a PPP structure based on periodical payments that can be partially compensated by the payments for telecommunication services that will be self-provided.