France's National Ultra-Fast Broadband Plan
In 2013, the French government launched a plan called France Très Haut Debit to bring high-speed broadband to the whole of the country by 2022. This plan demonstrates the government's commitment to modernizing France's digital infrastructure with a view to stimulating the economy and helping bridge the regional digital divide.
An Innovative Financing Strategy
To achieve this ambitious objective, a public-private cofinancing system was set up, with the government injecting €20 billion. This approach enabled the costs to be spread out between private-network areas (where operators invest in their own fiber rollouts) and “public initiative network” areas, where local authorities are responsible for fiber rollouts, supported by the State and private investors.