The lack of internet access in rural areas in Romania and Europe is a problem, but also an opportunity, said Cristian Gheorghe, Business Development CEE, Prysmian Cables and Systems.
“In Europe, 11 per cent of the population is not connected to the internet, and globally, almost 50 per cent of people do not have internet access. In Romania, 30% of rural areas do not have high-speed internet, which widens the digital divide between urban and rural areas. This is a hotly debated topic and we are trying to identify solutions to bridge this gap,” said Gheorghe, at the conference “Digitalization and Energy Efficiency – Bucharest” organised by Energynomics together with the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Romania – CCIpR.
Technical challenges and high costs
One of the main barriers in developing rural internet infrastructure is, according to Gheorghe, the current technology used to connect. “In many villages, existing technical solutions, such as ADSL, satellite or GSM, do not provide sufficient coverage, neither geographically, nor in terms of bandwidth and latency. In addition, the costs to connect an isolated village are very high, as it involves the installation of data cables and other specific equipment,” he emphasised.
In addition to technical barriers, Cristian Gheorghe also highlighted another major challenge: the lack of digital skills in rural communities. “The problem is not just infrastructure, but also the low level of understanding of the benefits of digitisation. Many people in rural areas don’t realise the impact that internet access can have on their personal and community development. There is a need for digital education and the active involvement of communities,” said Gheorghe.
An innovative solution
To address these challenges, the company implemented a pilot project in a village near Cluj-Napoca. Unlike the traditional top-down funding approach (where governments work with infrastructure providers and telecom operators), this project focussed on involving the local community from the outset.
“We started by talking to the local mayor and formed partnerships with universities such as Babeș-Bolyai and local authorities. We created a plug-and-play, easy-to-install technical solution that includes a multi-operator connection point. In this way, operators can provide internet connectivity without very large upfront investments,” explained Gheorghe.
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The mayor saw immediate benefits: “We will finally have surveillance cameras in the village.” From here, the project has evolved to include a three-year strategic plan, which aims to increase land values, attract young people to the area and support local small business development.
The project demonstrated that digitaization can fundamentally transform a rural community if it is actively involved. “We started with zero digital skills in the village. Villagers didn’t have a long-term vision; they only focused on immediate benefits. But through dialogue and planning, we were able to show them how technology can change their lives,” said Gheorghe.
“We envision a future where every village can develop its own off-grid or on-grid networks and benefit from high-speed internet. It is a change that can raise living standards and attract investment in rural communities,” Gheorghe concluded.
The conference “Digitalization and Energy Efficiency – Bucharest” was organised by Energynomics together with the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Romania – CCIpR, with the support of our partners: Bonatti, Datacor, Elektra Renewable Support, Elvo, Enexus Renewable Energy, Generali, HBI Real Estate, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, Keno Energy, Personnel Select, Polytrade Global, Prime Batteries Technology, Prysmian, Schneider Electric, SolarX Power, UniCredit Bank, VARD, WALDEVAR Energy, WEBUS 4 Energy.