The linking of the sixteen Algarve municipalities by means of a broadband fibre optic network is to be postponed once again. The project, organised by Globalgarve, had applied for funding from the “Knowledge Society Operational Programme” and ended up in seventh place out of eight proposals. But the Programme only approved four of the eight applications, leaving out the Globalgarve project.

In a statement to the paper “Correio da Manhã”, Paulo Bernardo, director-general of Globalgarve, said he regretted that the answer had come so late because they could have applied for other funds.

The idea, with a budget of 15 million euros, aimed at equipping the region with a communication network 400 times faster that the existing one.

Paulo Bernardo said that Globalgarve would have to study other possible sources of funding and possible partnerships. The solution could be to find a less expensive alternative not using fibre optics.

It will be recalled that the municipal buildings of the sixteen Algarve municipalities were to be interlinked by broadband in August, later making use of the fibre optics of the company Águas do Algarve.

According to Francisco Sousa, Globalgarve’s technical director, the project was carried out under the Algarve Digital programme, was awarded last October and, after being implemented, was to be complemented by interconnections between the sixteen main municipal buildings in the region.

In January, he told the Algarve Observer that they were planning to have 150 fibre optic connections to buildings in each municipality and that the phase also included a connection to the place where all the links to the other municipalities would come out in the future. He said that this project on its own would cost a million euros.

source: algarve observer