Remote Croatian islands to boast high-speed broadband through hybrid technology

The islands of Rab and Cres will soon have high speed internet without resorting to expensive and challenging methods of procurement

Delivering high-speed internet to homes on remote islands is a daunting task for any internet service provider and local authority. The challenges that the process entails range from the high costs of the equipment and technology required, to the complexity of the entire process.

Yet in the case of the remote Croatian islands of Rab and Cres, authorities and private investors have figured out a cost-efficient and easier to implement alternative.

The technology

Communities living on the two islands fall into the so-called “white NGA areas” – i.e. areas that are mostly covered by wireless networks that are highly limited in speed.

Yet the private company A1 has come up with a solution to the problems of Rab and Cres citizens. By integrating the already existing optical networks with modern radio relay technologies, the internet service provider is able to connect the islands with the mainland, thus delivering connectivity of similar quality to the one provided by regular fibre optic infrastructure.

Such a connection was first established on the island of Krk. From there, A1 is able to transmit a signal further off the coast, thus delivering high-speed broadband to more remote parts of the country.

Countries across Europe have been acting on the need to connect remote areas to high-quality networks. Fast and lag-free connection to the internet is a vital prerequisite for any economic activity in the 21^st century and governments have been quick to recognize the needs of citizens who are living far away from urban hubs.

Similar, yet not as technologically advanced, approaches can be found in Austria, Malta, Slovenia and Greece – and most, if not all of these projects have been carried out with the financial assistance of the EU.