The Government of Serbia sought to bring gigabit broadband to 600 rural schools and extend high-quality internet access to over 225,000 households in low-density rural “white zone” areas. These regions lacked commercial investment viability, making it essential to design a targeted, evidence-based intervention that would attract operators and secure approvals for broadband deployment.
The challenge
Connecting rural schools required addressing the economic viability gap for operators, creating a robust middle-mile design, and developing a detailed understanding of rural settlement characteristics. Policymakers needed a comprehensive technical and financial analysis to support decision making and ensure that the project aligned with Serbia’s national broadband goals.
Project outline
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Conducted techno-economic analysis of 2,819 candidate rural settlements.
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Established criteria for grouping settlements into 5–7 typical settlement profiles.
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Linked each settlement with its profile to enable targeted intervention.
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Developed conceptual middle-mile network designs aligned to profile needs.
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Prepared complete middle-mile project documentation for 600 rural schools.
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Produced financial and cost-benefit analyses to support operator engagement and investment approvals.
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Generated broadband availability maps highlighting coverage gaps and competitive dynamics.
Our impact
Salience provided the Ministry of Trade, Tourism, and Telecommunications with a fully modelled, evidence-based framework for engaging operators and securing infrastructure approvals. The work enabled Serbia to advance rural broadband deployment in remote areas, ensuring digital inclusion for students and underserved communities.
Duration of engagement: April 2021 – August 2021