Fast internet connectivity in Cyprus stood at 41% in 2021, compared to an average of 70% in the EU as a whole.

The figures published by Eurostat concern the extent to which the European Commission’s target for increased internet connectivity in all EU households and 5G network coverage for all residential areas by 2030 has progressed.

According to Eurostat, significant progress has been made in the deployment of fixed very high-capacity connections (VHCN) across the European Union.

Very high-capacity connections are defined by Eurostat as fibreoptic connections or other networks offering similar broadband services.

Coverage in both the EU and Cyprus improved compared to 2013, when it stood at 16% in the EU and zero in Cyprus. In Cyprus the coverage with fast internet started according to the data to develop in 2018 (0.5%), 2019 (10%) and 2020 (26%).

Eurostat records an improvement across Europe and in relation to connectivity in the most sparsely populated areas (defined as areas with less than 100 inhabitants per square kilometre). Between 2013 and 2021, the percentage of households in sparsely populated areas with VHCN connections increased from 4% to 37%.

In Cyprus, the connectivity rate in sparsely populated areas in 2021 was 22.4%, marking an increase compared to the first year in which coverage is recorded, 2019 (16.6%), and compared to 2020 (19.5%)

Malta is the only member state to record 100% universal coverage with VHCN connections, followed by Luxembourg (96%), Denmark (95%) and Spain (94%).

The lowest percentage of connections were recorded in Greece (20%), Cyprus (41%) and Italy (44%).

In terms of coverage of sparsely populated areas, Malta again recorded 100% coverage, followed by Luxembourg, Denmark and the Netherlands (79% for all three).

The lowest coverage in sparsely populated areas was recorded in Greece where there is zero coverage, the Czech Republic (7%) and Finland (12%).

Source: Cyprus Mail