Model study

The lead partner of the project entitled “Digital Microregion: Development of Cross-Border Broadband Internet Infrastructure in the Hungarian-Romanian Cross-Border Area” Acronym: „DIGIREGION” is the Homokkert Kft; its cross-border partner is the Integratio Fondation from Timisoara. The cooperation of the two partners has already a history.

The general objective of the project is to increase competitiveness and standard of living by improving e-skills through development of joint cross-border broadband internet infrastructure in the Hungarian-Romanian cross-border region on the long term.
As a specific objective, we would like to carry out the development of broadband internet penetration by building up a joint cross-border broadband internet infrastructure based on the synergy between the cross-border partners.

In the cross-border region of Hungary and Romania, communities involved in the program are disadvantaged and rural areas and are located in the periphery, their geographical distance from developed western centers is significant. The geographical distance shortages can not be changed, but the virtual distance can be significantly reduced switching people, who are unable to do so under their own power, to the bloodstream of 21st century with broadband Internet connection. This problem knows no boundaries. In today's world, this cannot happen that certain social groups in disadvantaged areas are digitally illiterate. Two reasons can cause it: firstly the lack of broadband internet infrastructure, on the other hand, the lack of awareness of Internet-related target. This project aims to break both: on the one hand builds the cross-border Internet infrastructure and access for disadvantaged groups to the Internet. On the other hand with the help of awareness events and other tools tries to develop digital literacy.

The EU goals especially convergent competitive communities regardless borders, regional heritages etc. We’ll contribute to these goals by development of communication infrastructure, toolkit, knowledge and networks between Romania and Hungary.
The project will encourage and support developing and optimising social and business co-operations, development of ICT sector and its beneficiaries. We’ll develop related knowledge directly and beyond. We’ll exploit majority of advantages and eliminate disadvantages, asynchronous factors.
The main objectives of the project concern main problems: the project aims to buld out a cross-border ICT network by developing cross-border broadband internet infrastructure. High quality IP based service environments are the future, the doorway to the new digital world which provides the base for sustainable future economic growth. Commercial carriers, incumbents, alternative or virtual network operators are renewing and deploy their broadband networks (expand their fast fiber access and increase the capacity of their transport networks) in densely populated areas where they experience the greatest demand, living less developed border regions unserviced, underdeveloped.

The scope of the investment is to deploy a cross-border broadband network infrastructure that is capable of connecting two distribution points and their subsequent networks within the territory of two neighboring settlements within the eligible border area of each country.
Such cross-border broadband internet infrastructure as base for cross border communication users can get access to a large number of services.

The cross-border character of the project is clear: In the past two decades the role of digital information flow has significantly increased both to private and business sectors, the amount of data available and the quality is increasing. These opportunities are opening up new perspectives and quality of life for the users, like management of municipal affairs and internet banking, e-learning, interactive TV, VOD - Video on Demand, IPTV Internet Protocol Television, VoIP - Voice over IP, etc.. However, residents of disadvantaged regions - where Internet service providers based on the calculations of return decides not to establish appropriate networks – left behind in exploiting the opportunities offered by cyberspace, so both private people and businesses are at a disadvantage. The great advantage of this project is not only transmitting the broadband internet access in disadvantaged areas for the inhabitants and thus eliminating the geographical distance, reducing their isolation, but beyond that the development connects people both sides of the border, and through project events it equalizes e-skills of population of the two sides. For this reason, the most important cross-border impact of the project is that it stresses the connecting role of borders instead of separating countries. The project awakens and strengthens the idea in actors on the two sides of the border that cooperation with each other and with innovators is determined by natural processes, not frontiers.

These important challenges cannot be treated just by the individual efforts of the partners in Hungary and Romania therefore our groups are interdependent. For this reason, the most important cross-border impact of the project is that it stresses the connecting role of borders instead of separating countries in the field of cooperation on protection of nature and natural values to make the renewable energy sector a real pull sector of the border region. The project awakens and strengthens the idea in actors on the two sides of the border that cooperation with each other and with innovators is determined by natural processes, not frontiers.
The implementation of the project is executed among joint structural and financial conditions; the partners help each other in the definition and management of risks. The objective of the partnership is the establishment of a long-term cooperation between the parties. The cross-border cooperation will be realized in Csongrád County of Hungary and Timis County of Romania.

The partners have commissioned project management team members for implementation. The main selection criteria were competence, experience and commitment towards the project.

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