High-speed broadband to everybody in Finland
HELSINKI, April 14, 2010 (AFP) - Finland is on track to meet its target of offering high-speed internet connections to nearly all residents by the end of 2015, the communications ministry said.
• Analysts eye ‘strong growth’ in Nordic telecoms
"The target set by the government will be reached on schedule, or even ahead of it," the ministry said in a statement.
The government's plan is to offer high-speed broadband connections of at least 100 megabytes per second to nearly all Finns by the end of 2015 to enable more people to work or run small businesses from home and secure access to online services in remote areas.
According to information from telecoms companies, more than 86 percent of Finnish households are already within two kilometres (1.24 miles) of a commercial fibre-optic cable network, it said.
It added that the companies estimated more than 94 percent of households and businesses to be within reach of commercial networks by the end of 2015.
Public finances will be used to build networks in sparsely populated areas, where commercial projects are not possible, and Communications Minister Suvi Linden said many of the some 800 projects awaiting government financing would begin in the next few months.
Last Updated (Wednesday, 14 April 2010 16:52)
