Green light from the European Commission for the one-year extension, until 2023, of the Voucher Plan measure for businesses aimed at supporting the demand for connectivity of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as professionals.
The extension had been requested by the Italian government, in consideration of the more than 430 million euros still available and taking into account the extension of the audience of beneficiaries to professionals (natural persons with a VAT number who exercise an intellectual profession, on their own or in an associated form ) which took place last May.
Based on the provision issued by the Commission, the vouchers can continue to be activated by operators until 31 December 2023 following a request presented by the beneficiaries, for whom the measure provides for the recognition of a contribution in the form of a discount on the sale price of the ultra-broadband internet connection fees.
Beneficiaries can opt for different types of vouchers, the cost of which varies from a minimum of 300 euros to a maximum of 2500 euros, which differ on the basis of service performance, in terms of connection speed (from a minimum of 30 Mbit /s up to a maximum of over 1 Gbit/s), and their duration (from 18 to 24 months).
“It is an excellent result – said Minister Urso – the companies were waiting for it to avoid resources being wasted. We need to raise the level of awareness of businesses, especially in small and medium-sized ones, on the need to be ultra-connected to be competitive in the global market. The Ministry will analyze the results of the measures to encourage connectivity in order to re-propose the most effective ones and meet the concrete needs of businesses and households.”