Why are Greeks and Spaniards envious of Romanians for their internet speed?

Wednesday, Apr 24, 2024

Romanians achieved rapid internet via community networks, contrasting with other European nations’ infrastructure challenges.

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[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

International specialists are impressed by how Romanians achieved ultra-fast internet, attributing it to community networks built by ordinary people despite a lack of copper infrastructure. A European project analyzed this success and failures in other countries. Romania boasts high fiber coverage (96% of households), placing it among the fastest in the EU for downloading media. This rapid adoption was driven by individuals implementing local neighborhood networks using coaxial or fiber, bypassing costly underground installations. While this fostered entrepreneurship and low costs, it has negatively impacted urban aesthetics. Conversely, countries with established copper infrastructure, like Germany, are struggling to manage their aging networks. Greece suffers from slow and expensive internet due to a lack of competition and poor coverage. Despite its strengths in fiber adoption, Romania still lags behind the EU average in 5G coverage and e-commerce penetration.


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