sábado, 20 de marzo de 2021

Broadband in Reus and the Baix Camp county: the city of the future

The digital era led us to something called The Broadband Society where we live in nowadays. The two main axes of this concept are universalization and the guarantee of the service, as stated by the Council of the European Union in the eEurope project (2002), in order to “make Europe the most competitive and dynamic economy in the world”. We analyze in this scenario Reus and Baix Camp cases, in collaboration with Sergi Peralta Moreno, from UPF.




However, there are a couple of professional areas where the Broadband Society has become even more than reality: it has become part of their backbone. The information and communication technologies are one of the fundamentals of the knowledge society in the XXI century. According to the European Commission, ITC is responsible for a substantial rise in productivity in all economic sectors. The Internet is fostering economic and social developments in the First World. Rafael Díez Vega states that “broadband networks are having an impact as revolutionary as electricity or railways had in the past”.


Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation described back in 2003 that the initial concept of broadband was firstly introduced in August 1989, during the Plenary Assembly of the CCITT (Consultative Committee for International Telegraphy and Telephony), nowadays known as the ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union). Experts defined that broadband services require channels with a higher capability than primary access (2,048 Mbit/s). When the broadband networks were introduced at first, they were considered a “true technological revolution” (Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología y Telecable, Redes de acceso de banda ancha: Arquitectura, Prestaciones, Servicios y Evolución, 2003).

According to the latest CNMC statistics (2017), Catalonia is the Autonomous Community with more broadband lines installed, with more than 2.750.000, followed by Madrid and Andalucía by a couple of hundreds of thousands. This places Catalonia as the leader in broadband technologies all over Spain.

Referring to the latest Idescat reports, in 2017, 82’9% of the population had access to broadband in Catalonia, meaning a little bit more than a 3% leap from two years prior. The trend seems to go up without deaccelerating because, as time goes on, mobile phones have become one of the main sources to access to Internet —96’9% of households with, at least, one family member aged between 16 and 74 years old have one or more mobile phone devices, as stated by the latest survey of the Statistical Institute of Catalonia—.

A technology first created with military uses has become essential in the current society. Since 2005, we are living with the so-called 4G (fourth generation) of mobile telephony, known as “a system of systems and a net of nets” that succeeds due to the combination of both physical cable and wireless technology (Análisis Tecno-Económico del Despliegue de Redes Móviles de Banda Ancha para Servicio de Seguridad Pública i Emergencias, Javier Carretero Alfaro, 2013). 

The Baix Camp county is no exception. Located in the southeast of Catalonia, this region is well known for its capital city, Reus, the birthplace of artist Antoni Gaudí and FC Barcelona’s footballer Sergi Roberto. Moreover, there are three nuclear reactors in the villages of Ascó and Vandellòs, respectively, turning Baix Camp into one of the principal energy resources of Catalonia. In fact, more than 70% of the electric energy produced in the Autonomous Community is from nuclear origin, according to Pep Puig’s report for Energia Sostenible. 

More than 80% of Baix Camp citizens have access to broadband networks, and nearly every single one of them owns a mobile phone (96’6% in 2017, according to Idescat), exemplifying that the First World is currently living in this so-called Broadband Society. In fact, Baix Camp and Tarragonès are the top two counties where more percentage of the population accesses the Internet frequently.

The latest CNMC results, published back in 2017, state that the province of Tarragona is one of the pioneers regarding Digital Subscriber Line (xDSL) networks, being well over the Spanish average, positioning at the fourth place in the list of provinces with more lines per 100 inhabitants. Tarragona owns 17’4 lines/100 inhabitants, while the national average lays at 10’9 lines/100 inhabitants.

It has to be noted that, in 2000, the Ministry of Digital Policies reached an agreement with Consorci Localret to guarantee ADSL in all industrial zones of Camp de Tarragona, as well as trying to provide exponential coverage in rural areas.

However, the introduction of more developed technologies, such as HFC or FTTH, is struggling overall. The number of HFC lines/100 inhabitants is four points lower than the national average, as Tarragona places as the sixth province with less impact referring to HFC penetration. The FTTH ones remain at 10’4 lines/100 inhabitants for the 14’4 lines/100 inhabitants that Spain has.

Nevertheless, we should take into account that Terres de l’Ebre territory, one of the regions with less percentage of households accessing the Internet regularly, is in the province of Tarragona as well as Tarragonès and Baix Camp, the two leaders of this category. Therefore, there is a distinct contrast between urban areas and rural zones. 




In total, there are near 250.000 lines of broadband networks in the Tarragona province, taking into account coaxial cable, HFC, xDSL and FTTH. 82.240 of those are fiber optics, a technology that is improving its results at each report. On the other hand, the amount of xDSL lines distributed in the territory is decreasing since 2014, when it reached its peak at 188.502. Nowadays, there are a little bit less than 140.000 xDSL lines. Finally, HFC is struggling to be successful, with 10.978 lines.



In 2008, Generalitat de Catalunya launched the project Catalunya Connecta to guarantee broadband in the entirety of the Catalan territory. The project got funds from the Spanish Government to make sure that every single village with 50 or more inhabitants has access to Internet and phone coverage. The plan had a budget of 110 million euros, divided into nearly 2.000 actions until 2010.

4,3 million euros were destined to the Baix Camp county. By May 2009, near three million euros had already been spent. Then, Jordi Bosch, representing Generalitat de Catalunya, promised that the next actions would take place in the municipalities of Capafonts and La Febró, two of the smallest in the county (according to 2018 stats, La Febró only has 56 inhabitants, while Capafonts has 122). The next goal would be L’Argentera, the last place without broadband connectivity.

However, it has to be noted that, nowadays, not every municipality has a broadband network. In June 2018, Jordi Puigneró, Minister of Digital Policies and Public Administration of Catalonia, stated that the current plan is to guarantee broadband for 2023. Besides that, by 2020, all county capitals should have fiber optics, as there are still seven with a less powerful connection.

In September 2015, the council of Reus decided to take a step forward in order to become a genuine Broadband Society with a project called Reus Smart City. A free-to-use Wi-Fi connection on all municipal service buildings was the main attraction of the plan. As perfect as it sounds, this service was limited to the promotion of the town, so users would only be able to look for information about what to do in Reus and which activities are going to take place there. However, to be able to connect to this —limited— network, you needed —and you still need— a password only provided at some buildings that expires in the short-term. Therefore, Reus’ citizens do not have full access to this free wireless connection whenever they need it. 
In the first steps of the project, a total of 11 backbones were installed between the city center, the nearby area of Carrilet and the bus station. Future plans stated that more Wi-Fi stations would be located on the outskirts of the town, something still to be done. Another initiative was the installation of a big screen in the Prim square, one of the most visited places in Reus, were citizens could read the instructions about how to connect to the public Wi-Fi and what services they would be able to find there. However, this never came to reality.

Nevertheless, there are three big successes related to this project. The first one is WiFiBus. Currently, Reus citizens can connect to the Internet for free while traveling with municipal transport without the restrictions of Reus WiFi. Secondly, most municipal facilities, like Xavier Amorós library, offer access to the Internet to its users —also working with a password— so they can work there with their laptops. Finally, the TQ BANCO SOLAR iNTELIGENTE is the cream of the crop. Installed in 2018 just in front of the train station, it may look like a strange bench with solar panels on top. Many people don’t know what is the functioning of this invention, as local media has published little information, but it provides a Wi-Fi connection and the possibility to charge mobile devices via USB.



In Reus, there are two principal broadband access’ technologies available: FTTx and ADSL, both offered by many operators like Movistar, the leader in the province, or Vodafone. Its availability depends on many factors, as stated by Movistar: geographical location, available infrastructure, coverage, optic fibers distribution, population, typology, topography, licenses and regulations. In consequence, every single client has to analyze, with the operator’s help, which option suits better his needs —or simply which one is available in his household—. Therefore, it could be the case that neighbours living in the same street or even in the same apartment block have different broadband systems.

To sum up, Baix Camp is one of the leaders in Catalonia as broadband connection refers. Every single municipality has access to Internet and phone coverage, the latest being given connectivity in the 2010s thanks to Pla Catalunya Connecta. Reus is one of the pioneers in the Smart City society, fostering multiple activities with diverse impacts. However, there’s a lack of information from this sector, as actions have been done secretly or are protected by confidential agreements. 

We analyze broadband and HbbTV evolution (here, the case of Reus and Baix Camp) in this blog, in Research Group about Digital Journalism and Marketing and Broadband and in Research Group on Innovative Monetization Systems of Digital Journalism, Marketing and Tourism (SIMPED), from CECABLEEscola Universitària Mediterrani of UdGUPF and Blanquerna-URL, in Twitter (@CECABLEresearch), in the group of LinkedIn, in the page of LinkedIn, in the group of Facebook, in Instagram (CECABLE), in Pinterest and in this blog. We will go in deep in the XXV Cable and Broadband Catalonia Congress (2021, Barcelona).

80 comentarios:

  1. Articles molt interessants i macos sobre municipis i comarques de Catalunya. Felicitats!

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  2. M'agrada que analitzeu la Catalunya interior, la de tota la vida. La banda ampla és molt necessària en aquests llocs.

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  3. Interesante caso. La banda ancha se despliega por todo el territorio.

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  4. La banda ampla és part de les nostres vides. Sense banda ampla, ni en àmbit domèstic ni a l'empresa podríem funcionar como funcionem. Sigui en grans ciutats, sigui en petits pobles, visca la Societat de la Banda Ampla!

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  5. Gracias a este articulo no me queda ninguna duda que sin un buen ancho de banda no iríamos a ningún lado, ya seamos una ciudad grande o un pueblito.
    Ademas en en el articulo queda muy bien explicado el despliegue que tienen este sistema en el territorio

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  6. Interessant article. Molt important la banda ampla a les nostres vides per poder estar connectats al present i al futur. També ajuda molt a les empreses a que puguin estar connectades amb el món digital.

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  7. Molt bona aportació i font d'informació per a la banda ampla dins el territori Català! Trobo que es el futur, i cada cop més el present.

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  8. La banda ancha es un factor esencial en nuestro día a día, sin esta no funcionariamos en ningún ámbito. Personalmente, me parece muy interesante que hayas hecho este análisis sobre la banda ancha en Cataluña, ya que es un ejemplo más cercano. ¡Muy buen articulo!

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  9. Interesante artículo sobre la banda ancha . hoy en día cada vez más necesitamos estar conectados a la red ya sea para trabajar como para un uso propio y estos avances hacen que sea más fácil y al alcance de todas las personas. No me cabe duda de que a medida que vaya pasando el tiempo la banda ancha será muchísimo mejor, además este año ha llegado el 5G y eso es un gran avance para la prosperidad de nuestras telecomunicaciones.

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  10. Interesante artículo de la banda ancha en Reus y la comarca del Baix camp,

    Observamos como una tecnología creada primeramente para usos militares se ha convertido en algo imprescindible para todos nosotros en la sociedad actual, impacta el volumen de usuarios poseedores de telefonos móviles (96'6% en 2017, según el Idescat), sin embargo hay que tener más en cuenta a los territorios que todavía la incidencia de la banda ancha es inferior haciendo una distinción entre localidades más rurales frente a las mas urbanizadas.
    Poco a poco observaremos que tanto localidades más urbanas y las mas rurales estaran igualmente coectadas y veremos una generación totalmente tecnologica, el cual asusto un poco!!

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  11. La banda ancha nos hace mucho bien y es de mucha utilidad, además esta muy bien hacer artículos como estos dando a conocer sus informaciones, como estamos conectados a la red y qué uso le damos a estos medios de comunicación, que tanto usamos y darles más visibilidad. Muy buen artículo y de interés para nuestra prosperidad.

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  12. Trobo que és un article interessant, ja que la banda ampla és de vital importància, avui en dia és fonamental està connectats sigui per un ús personal o per treballar en l'àmbit professional , gràcies a ella podem fer que sigui més amè. En l'àmbit d'empreses és un valor afegit disposar d'aquesta tecnologia, ja que els permet estar interconnectats.

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  13. Molt interessant l'article sobre banda ampla a Reus i Baix Camp.
    Avui dia la banda ampla és essencial per a les nostres vides, ja que vivim connectats a la xarxa, la necessitem pràcticament per a tot, sense ella res funcionària, ja que vivim en un món totalment digitalitzat.

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  14. La banda ancha actualmente es imprescindible para mucha gente, sino para la mayoría. La banda ancha tiene muchas ventajas como permitir que un muchos usuarios visiten las páginas web y el aumento en la actividad económica, ya que mucha gente tiene acceso a la internet y su uso para hacer compras cada vez es lo más normal, realizar todo tipo de actividades online.

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  15. La banda ancha cuenta con un valor incalculable en la época que estamos viviendo, ya sea en ciudades o en pueblos en el interior de Catalunya, siempre se tiene que optar por un cambio positivo, lo interesante es que este tipo de medidas pueden influenciar a la población joven para moverse a estas zonas y a la vez atraer a las empresas digitales.

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  16. Como todos sabemos la banda ancha se ha convertido en uno de nuestros pilares fundamentales de nuestro día a día. Es una herramienta que todo el mundo hace uso y ver cómo está llegando a ciudades del interior de Cataluña es muy importante saber que eso es una gran mejora para las telecomunicaciones, para todo tipo de trabajo que conlleve el uso de internet que hoy en día prácticamente son todas.
    Muy buen articulo!!!

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  17. Molt interessant ! Estem connectats 24/7 a les xarxes ja sigui per motius laborals o lúdics i articles com aquests ens informa més sobre el tema de la banda ampla, que cada vegada anirà millorant i arribarà a llocs on encara no hi és present. Felicitats.

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  18. Interessant article!! Una bona banda ample es cada vegada mes necesaria en les nostres vides, ja que vivim en un mon digitalitzat. Tots estem conectats amb tots a traves de la xarxes i fins i tot avui en dia es indispensable pel comerç.

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  19. Wow molt molt interessant i necessari per adonar-nos de la importància de la banda ampla en tots els ambits. M'enorgullleixo de ser la comunitat autònoma líder en tot l’estat espanyol en tenir accés a més banda ampla. Encara que vec que ens queda molt camí en relació a garantir l’accés ADSL a totes les zones industrials i rurals.

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  20. Interesante articulo de la banda ancha y lo importante que resulta, felicitaciones este articulo

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  21. És bo saber que gràcies a la banda ampla s'estan aconseguint molts objectius i entre ells, el de fer d'Europa l'economia més competitiva i dinàmica d'avui dia. Sobretot s'ha de destacar el paper que juga en la productivitat en tots els sectors econòmics i el desenvolupament social que estem experimentant.
    Som molt afortunats de viure en la comunitat líder en accès a banda ampla i tenir comarques com el Baix Camp on les iniciatives que es proposen i es duen a terme com l'Smart City Reus, suposen un gran avenç tecnològic i faciliten el dia a dia dels habitants del territori.

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  22. Es cierto que actualmente la banda ancha se ha convertido en una herramienta fundamental para la sociedad que nos da muchas facilidades. Es bueno saber que esta herramienta esta llegando a todas las ciudades aunque queden poblaciones donde tal vez se debería reforzar la red. Hoy en día es fundamental disponer de banda ancha tanto para el ámbito personal como para el profesional.

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  23. En aquest articulo podem veure que és bastant interessant com a veritat, ja no queda dubte que sense una bona amplada de banda no aniríem a cap costat, és igual on resideixis. També a poc a poc la banda ampla va arribant a mes llocs complint així més objectius, arribant així a més zones pel que pot arribar a afavorir a tot el món.

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  24. Gracias a este artículo podemos ver la evolución e importancia de la banda ancha hoy en día, ya que el aumento de su implementación en zonas rurales y la vía pública permite una mayor conectividad digital entre personas, empresas y demás. Además, destacando que esto fomenta la actividad económica tanto digital como analógica al dar acceso al facilitar su acceso a más personas y en más lugares, artículo muy interesante

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  25. És un gran avantatge viure en la comunitat autònoma líder en tenir accés a més banda ampla. No obstant això, acords com el de garantir accés d'ADSL a zones rurals i industrials o projectes com el de "Catalunya Connecta", no s'haurien de deixar enrere, per tal d'avançar cada cop més pel que fa a la tecnologia.

    - Lindsay J. Rapisura

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  26. El terme banda ampla em sembla un terme molt favorable per a tots nosaltres ja que d'acord amb l’article moltes persones avui en dia tenim un dispositiu mòbil a les nostres mans i utilitzem cada dia internet. Jo visc en un poble molt petit que forma part d’aquesta part rural per això em sembla molt interessant aquest projecte perquè independentment del lloc on visquem tots necessitem disposar d’una bona connexió.

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  27. Great article! It is really impressive haow in such a globalised world and Catalonia being the Autonomous Community with more broadband lines installed in Spain there’s still around a 20% of the population that has no internet connection at all. I think some of the projects mentioned are amazing ideas, being able to access the internet while being on the bus is great for everyone, for those who work and are able to keep doing so while on the way home and also really good for those who don’t have broadband access home and can access it on the public transport or in some benches. Having the internet around is fundamental in nowadays society.

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  28. Muy buen articulo! El hecho de que el gobierno tenga que hacer planes para llevar conectividad a todos los sitios nos hace ver la importancia de la tecnologia actualmente.

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  29. A very interesting article! As we all know, broadband has become one of our fundamental pillars of our everyday life. Especially we should emphasise the role it plays in all the economy sectors and social development. It is very important to know that this is a great improvement for telecommunications, because it is a tool that everyone uses and nowadays it is reaching cities in the interior of Catalonia for all kinds of work that involves the use of the internet. We are very fortunate to live in the leading community in access to broadband.

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  30. Very good article!!! Broadband does us a lot of good and is very useful, also it is very good to make articles like these giving us information, as we are connected to the network and what use we give to these means of communication, which we use so much and give them more visibility. Very good article and interesting for our prosperity.

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  31. Felicitats per l'article! Tal i com es menciona, actualment vivim a la era del 4G i en una “Broadband Society”, que situa a la banda ampla al centre de tot. Per això la banda ampla és essencial en l’àmbit econòmic, ja que permet el desenvolupament de molts negocis (especialment els que estan orientats online) i s’ha de vetllar perquè en puguin disposar el màxim d’empreses i particulars.

    M’ha sorprès que en aquest sentit Catalunya lideri en el sector de les línies de banda ampla tot i que en certes àrees encara s’ha de millorar la connectivitat mitjançant plans com el projecte “Catalunya Connecta”.

    Aida Llavall

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  32. Thank you for the article! Nowadays, it is really important to analyse specific cases when talking about broadband because it lets us know that many places that apparently do not have the same facilities as big cities such as Barcelona, they have really good access to broadband, too. So, it is interesting to know that cities like Reus are well connected to networks because that means that many other cities are improving their broadband and in a not so far future everyone will have access to it, even the inhabitants of small undeveloped villages.

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  33. An interesting article, especially to be aware of the importance of broadband today, which is one of the fundamental tools in today's society and how lucky we are to have the internet at our fingertips, thanks to which we can achieve many of our goals. It is good to know that this tool is reaching more areas and that it can benefit everyone.

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  34. Com ja sabem, actualment és imprescindible la banda ampla per la nostra societat, ja que és una eina essencial a l'hora d'estar connectat amb qualsevol persona arreu del món. Hem de recalcar que durant aquest darrer any la necessitat de poder despondre d'una banda ampla ha estat fonamental, ja que la població s'ha vist forçada a teletreballar i que el seu únic mitjà per poder veure els seus familiars sigui a través d'una tauleta.
    -Paula Palou

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  35. Bona article JF i bones dades sobre la banda ampla a Catalunya. A més de la informació donada de Reus, és força interessant que el Baix Camp ho faci tot en secret i tanta confidencialitat.

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  36. Molt interesant aquest article! Un altre cop podem veure clarament la importancia de la banda ampla per així millorar la connectivitat digital entre persones.

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