Project of joint construction of broadband communication infrastructure in rural areas
Donor: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Partners: Ministry of Information and Telecommunications
Beneficiaries: Schools and citizens in rural areas; entrepreneurs, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises; local self-governments
Implementation period: August 2025 – February 2027 (plus 12 months for the deficiency claim period)
The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), is implementing the second phase of the Joint Construction of Broadband Infrastructure in Rural Areas of the Republic of Serbia project. The goal of the project is to ensure universal access to high-speed internet in more than 700 underdeveloped and hard-to-reach settlements, thereby reducing digital, economic, and social disparities between urban and rural areas and contributing to the further development of the digital society in Serbia.
During the project, approximately 4,700 kilometers of optical network are expected to be built, connecting 120,000 households, 730 schools, and around 370,000 citizens. So far, 75% of the territory of the Republic of Serbia has been covered by high-speed internet, and with the implementation of this project, it is expected that 99% of villages in Serbia will have internet speeds exceeding 100 Mbps.
In the implementation of the project, NALED acts as a partner within the JVCA consortium (VMS–JAI–NALED–DELTA ENGINEERING), which entails providing expert support to the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, coordinating with local self-governments and institutions, identifying procedural bottlenecks, selecting pilot municipalities for testing solutions, organizing meetings and preparing recommendations for more efficient project implementation, as well as developing and executing a communication plan — thereby contributing to transparency, public awareness, and the successful delivery of project activities.
