Strong partnership for Europe’s digital future: EIB provides €75 million to support further fibre rollout by öGIG

• EIB lends €75 million to Austrian fibre infrastructure provider öGIG to expand high-speed connectivity across Austria, with focus on rural areas.
• The financing will support the rollout of open-access fibre networks across six Austrian federal states.
• Backed by InvestEU programme, credit marks initial part of planned EIB financing for öGIG initiative.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending €75 million to Austrian fibre infrastructure provider öGIG to expand its high-speed network across Austria. The financing will support the rollout of open-access fibre networks, with a focus on areas with limited access to high-speed digital infrastructure in the Austrian states of Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Styria, Upper Austria and Vorarlberg.

The loan is the first tranche of planned EIB financing for the project. Commercial banks are among the other financing partners. The combined financing package from the EIB and commercial banks for öGIG's project totals €225 million.

"Rural communities need reliable, high-capacity connections just as much as cities do," said EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer. "By supporting fibre infrastructure across six Austrian states, we are helping close the digital divide, strengthen regional economies and give households and businesses the foundations to seize the opportunities of digitalisation. Every region must be able to participate in Europe's digital future."

Reliable digital infrastructure is essential to regional development. Modern fibre-optic technology supports remote working, digital education and cloud services, while providing the foundations for emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. Better connectivity can strengthen rural areas as places to live and do business, while helping companies remain competitive in an increasingly digital economy.

The EIB financing is backed by the European Union's InvestEU programme and advances EU policies to promote rural and digital development.

Founded in 2019, öGIG is part of the Allianz Group. The company operates an open-access model that allows different internet service providers to use the same fibre network. This gives households and businesses in areas covered by the network the freedom to choose between different providers and services.

"Since its foundation, öGIG has been one of the driving forces behind fibre rollout in Austria," said öGIG Chief Executive Officer Alfred Pufitsch. "The EIB financing marks another milestone. It demonstrates confidence in our strategy and confirms the importance of continuing to expand communications networks across Austria."

The project bolsters EU "Digital Decade" and Austrian "Broadband Strategy 2030" initiatives, including a goal to provide all European households with gigabit connectivity by 2030. It also reinforces the EIB's own support of digital infrastructure and technological innovation.

Background information

EIB Group

The European Investment Bank (ElB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion of new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects in eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investment union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe's markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees, securitisation and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs.

With the support of all 27 EU governments, the EIF has joined forces with institutional investors in a pan-European alliance to mobilise up to €80 billion for investment into innovative companies scaling up to become global leaders. The joint effort will expand the size and scope of the highly successful European Tech Champions Initiative, which has helped create 15 European mega-funds and scale 45 companies, including 15 unicorns, since being established three years ago.

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable economy. It helps generate additional investment in line with EU policy priorities, including technological transformation, strategic investment, innovation, resilience, long-term competitiveness, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises InvestEU brings all EU financial instruments together under one roof, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient, and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub, and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners who invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. This guarantee increases their risk-bearing capacity, thus mobilising at least €372 billion in additional investment. With top-ups from the Member State compartment and several EU initiatives, it has already mobilised €400 billion in public and private capital across the key priority sectors.

High-quality, up-to-date photos of the EIB Group's headquarters for media use are available here.

Austrian Fibre Infrastructure Company (öGIG)

As one of Austria's largest independent open-access platforms, the Austrian Fibre Infrastructure Company (öGIG) is driving the expansion of fibre-optic infrastructure across Austria. It operates a genuinely open and neutral network model, allowing customers to choose their internet service provider freely. More than 20 partner internet service providers already use the öFIBER network, supporting fair competition and attractive offers for customers. öFIBER stands for 100% full-fibre connectivity directly to the home. With no copper cabling in the final stretch, the technology offers high performance, reliability and virtually unlimited bandwidth to meet today's digital needs and those of the future. Founded in 2019, öGIG is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Allianz Group. As a long-term investor, Allianz supports the expansion of digital infrastructure in Austria.