Get Your Own Map First

Why broadband infrastructure mapping?

Either consumers or providers, either governments or local communities; everyone can benefit from having detailed information on the coverage of telecommunications infrastructure and public telecommunications networks in one place.

This gives the map of existing telecommunications infrastructure in Poland, prepared thanks to the efforts of the President of the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE), Magdalena Gaj. It helps to enable the provision of broadband access for all, by identifying the type of infrastructure available throughout the Polish territory to facilitate investment.

The President of the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) believes that broadband access plays a crucial role in boosting the development of the information society and the modern telecommunications market.

The map of existing telecommunications infrastructure and public telecommunications networks will significantly facilitate investment planning for Internet operators
and local governments; sums up the project Mrs. Gaj.

Mapping infrastructures was one of the measures introduced in Poland by the "Act on supporting the development of telecommunications services and networks". The so-called “Mega-law”, adopted in 2010, is a comprehensive act which aims at eliminating barriers to investment projects in the telecommunications sector.

For the purposes of telecommunications infrastructure mapping, Poland developed a dedicated database (inventory) called the Information System about Broadband Infrastructure (SIIS). The project “Information System Concerning the Broadband Infrastructure and the Broadband Poland Portal” (SIPS) was financed from the EU funds. It has been implemented by the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE), the National Institute of Telecommunications in Poland, and the Ministry of Infrastructure (currently the Ministry of Administration and Digitization).

The inventory presents data collected from the telecommunications undertakings, state and local government units and utilities in the form of tables, charts and maps at the Polish province or commune level. In portal http://www.polskaszerokopasmowa.pl/ broadband infrastructure is also presented on maps. They serve as a source of information for the investors and administrations, allowing to identify white spots, to facilitate investments and to locate areas where the public funds’ intervention is required. It is also prepared for the customers, who thanks to this tool are able to check what types of infrastructures are available at the place of their residence.

On the basis of data from the system, the President of UKE also prepares an annual report on the condition of telecommunications infrastructure in Poland, which can also serve as an input in the implementation of the European Initiatives at the national level. The data of the infrastructure inventory are submitted to ITU as an input for the project called Building Interactive Terrestrial Transmission Maps. The President of the Office of Electronic Communications, Mrs. Magdalena Gaj and Mr. Brahima Sanou, the Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) signed a relevant Letter of Engagement in November 2013.

There are several tools which could help in bridging the broadband gap across the European region. Those are: mapping broadband infrastructure, regulations enabling access to lands and buildings, right of way, as well as cooperation with all the market players (telecommunication operators, investors, local self-governments). The President of UKE undertakes numerous activities to actively promote the development of broadband access in Poland, also in cooperation with other government authorities. “Memorandum on cooperation in preventing theft and devastation of infrastructure” between UKE, the Energy Regulatory Office (URE) and the Office of Railway Transportation (UTK) signed in August 2012 is one of such initiatives. Further, in October 2014 the President of UKE and the President of URE concluded an agreement in order to facilitate the elimination of barriers to investment projects in the telecommunications and energy sector. The Agreement contains numerous detailed assumptions for the implementation of identified issues of common interest between UKE and URE. It includes inter alia the identification of interdependencies between the energy and telecommunications markets, with respect to the provision of services, identification of barriers to telecommunications and energy investment projects together with measures necessary to remove them.

UKE declares its continuous strong commitment to review the WSIS process.
In our opinion, WSIS contributes actively to bridging the digital divide, building confidence and security online, as well as to increasing access to broadband infrastructure that is crucial to the development of the information society.
It is also one of the ways of solidarity and effective implementation of the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals). We emphasize the positive results of the work done within the mechanism of the Multistakeholder Preparatory Platform (MPP), before the WSIS+10 High-Level Event in Geneva in June 2014, in which UKE took an active part. We believe that through ICT we can build more inclusive, connected and richer society and that is why we would like to see ICTs high on international agenda.

This workshop would present the Polish experience in the area of infrastructure mapping; from creating the legal conditions to use the collected information to boost investment in the telecommunications infrastructure. It could create an opportunity to identify the biggest challenges connected with the process of infrastructure mapping, as well as other tools that can improve the investment environment for telecommunication infrastructure development.