Government boost to the digital home

The new Regulation approved by the Council of Ministers includes fiber optic and coaxial cable as additional infrastructure in buildings, to make it easier for users to contract telephone, broadband and television services, and favors the introduction of services such as high definition television, ultra-fast Internet, HD video calls, 3D television, teleworking or telecare.

In its last meeting on the 11th, the Council of Ministers approved the new Regulation of Common Telecommunications Infrastructures for access to telecommunications services (telephony, broadband, radio and television) inside buildings. The objective of this Regulation is to facilitate the introduction of ultra-rapid access infrastructure in newly built buildings and thus promote their deployment by operators.

These infrastructures involve the construction and installation in buildings of enclosures intended to house telecommunications equipment, conduits and other elements necessary for interior wiring, wiring of the different networks (copper pair, coaxial cable and fiber optics), antennas and wiring for the reception of radio and television service. For their part, the operators deploy their networks from the entrance of the building and reach the areas intended for the equipment where the interconnection with the Common Telecommunications Infrastructure networks occurs.

Main news

The Regulation approved by Royal Decree updates the previous one from 2003 to include optical fiber, in addition to coaxial cable and the traditional copper pair, among building access networks, in line with the objectives of the European Digital Agenda. In addition, it updates the technical regulations on radio and television to adapt it to the DTT scenario. This new regulation affects all types of housing, both free and officially protected.

The new Regulation introduces the necessary elements so that this type of infrastructure can be designed, in such a way that it is easy to evolve and adapt to the concept of “Digital Home” and to obtain the benefits that it provides to its users: greater security, energy savings and efficiency, accessibility, etc. Adaptation to Digital Home standards is voluntary on the part of the promoter.

In this sense, the Regulation includes the way to classify homes, based on the Digital Home functionalities and devices they incorporate. In this way, a reference framework is offered, based on completely objective parameters, that will allow developers and public administrations to evaluate buildings, while final home buyers will have verifiable information on this matter.

The Common Telecommunications Infrastructures were born within the framework of the sector's liberalization process. Thus, the Regulation approved today facilitates the right of citizens to access any telecommunications operator that provides service in the area and ensures effective competition between operators by providing equal opportunities to deliver their services to their customers.

Economic impact

To meet the demand for new applications and services (high definition television, ultra-fast Internet, HD video calls, 3D television, teleworking, telecare, etc.), telecommunications operators are beginning the deployment of new infrastructures for fast and ultra-fast Internet access, and promoting the deployment of NGA (Next Generation Access) networks, capable of providing speeds greater than 100 Mbits per second, well above those provided by current networks.

The deployment of these infrastructures will be, according to the Government, essential for the social and economic development of Spain, and will contribute significantly to the generation of economic activity and employment. In this sense, fixed network and mobile communications operators are designing their future plans with significant investments in ultra-fast access infrastructures. Together, these operators have announced investments that exceed 2.5 billion euros annually in this type of networks alone. In addition, new infrastructures encourage operators to offer new communications products and services to citizens, based on greater bandwidth.

Additionally, updating old buildings to provide them with new ICT, installing fiber optics to the home, will have a positive impact on employment, since installation companies should hire new personnel specialized in optical technologies, while operators will have to incorporate personnel to deploy their networks to the buildings. In total, it is estimated that these activities will generate around twenty thousand new jobs.

European Digital Agenda

The European Commission, through the plan “A Digital Agenda for Europe”, promotes the deployment of NGA networks and highlights the low penetration of fiber optics to the home in the European Union compared to some G-20 nations. Among the measures to be taken within the European Union to alleviate this deficit is that of “updating the wiring inside buildings.” Spain, with the regulations approved today, is once again a pioneer within the European Union in the application of these objectives.

All the agents of the sector involved have participated in the processing of this Royal Decree for access to telecommunications services inside buildings and the Association of Developers and Builders of Spain has been informed.