European Commission - Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology

10/16/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/16/2026 02:14

Nominees of the European Digital Connectivity Awards 2026

Projects from across Europe, all working to expand access to very high-capacity digital connectivity, submitted their applications for the European Digital Connectivity Awards. After a comprehensive evaluation process, the jury shortlisted nine exceptional initiatives that are making a tangible contribution to improving high-speed connectivity across Europe.

European Commission

Nine projects were nominated by the jury for the 2026 finals in the below three categories:

Category 1. Excellence and innovation in deployment of Gigabit-Ready Infrastructure

  • 5G Mobile Healthcare Innovative Solutions (5GMHI), Sweden
  • 5G for a Better Tomorrow: Protecting Lives and the Environment in Riga and Turin (5G4LIVES), Latvia & Italy
  • Quantum Catalonia: A Public Fibre Network as a Real-World Testbed for Quantum-Secure Government Services, Spain

Category 2. Champions in addressing digital divide in rural and remote areas

  • 5G Connect Danube Delta (5G-CDD), Romania
  • Reaching 100% (R100) programme, UK (Scotland)
  • National Broadband Plan (NBP), Ireland

Category 3. Cross-border and international connectivity

  • 5G SEAGUL (5G Seamless Roaming for the Greece-Bulgaria Cross-Border Corridor), Greece & Bulgaria
  • ASTEO VENUS - Iberian Resilient Digital Corridor: Lisbon-Madrid-Northern Spain, Portugal & Spain
  • Balkan Digital Gateway: Neterra's cross-border optical corridor - Danube river fibre crossings, Balkan Fiber Optic Ring (BFOR) and next-generation DWDM backbone, Bulgaria & Romania & Turkey & Greece & Germany

The European Commission would like to sincerely thank all participating projects for their efforts to advance more inclusive and reliable digital connectivity throughout Europe. Warm congratulations to the shortlisted nominees on reaching the final stage of the competition!

The nominated projects will gather in Brussels on 2 December, when the European Commission will announce and honour the three winners at the European Digital Connectivity Awards Ceremony 2026.

Join the event to meet the nominees and congratulate the winners!

The European Digital Connectivity Awards 2026 are managed by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT).

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