November 20 2025 -- The deployment of cutting-edge digital infrastructure across the EU is set to be accelerated as the Commission selects 56 projects to be funded under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital programme.

Cable, 5G and Quantum Communications set for €389 million investment from the CEF Digital Programme

These 56 projects from the fourth round of calls under CEF Digital have been selected for a total €389 million in funding for the roll out of safe and resilient high-performance digital backbone networks, 5G large scale pilots for transport corridos and for Smart Communities and the deployment of secure quantum communication infrastructure (EuroQCI).

These projects are directly contributing to the EU’s ambitions to develop competitive and resilient advanced connectivity infrastructure – key to unlocking benefits of the digital revolution for citizens and companies across Europe.

The projects selected will deliver:

• Backbone connectivity for Digital Global Gateways including terrestrial and submarine cables within the EU and with third countries (including in the outermost regions and overseas countries and territories). In line with the prevention and detection objectives of the EU Action Plan on Cable Security, almost all new projects will integrate SMART technologies that act as early warning systems of potential threats.
• 5G large-scale pilots: This will see motorways and railways along the cross-border segments of the TEN-T transport corridors (5G coverage along transport corridors) equipped with standalone 5G networks. Projects will also incorporate edge cloud infrastructure in areas such as healthcare, education, agriculture, tourism, port and airport logistics, manufacturing (5G and Edge for Smart Communities).
• European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI): Including cross-border fibre cables between national quantum communication networks of Member States, and/ or satellite ground-station linking their EuroQCI’s terrestrial segment with the pan-European space constellation (IRIS2).

The EU's financial contribution comes in the form of grants with different co-financing rates, ranging from 30% to 75% of the projects total cost. The CEF-Digital programme funds both feasibility studies and deployment projects across the EU.

Under the CEF-Digital Programme, € 1.5 billion has been made available from the EU’s 2021-2027 budget to co-fund projects in the Europe. CEF-Digital is part of the larger Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme, which also funds Energy and Transport infrastructure.

Future calls will follow over the next two years, in line with the latest policy developments, including the Recommendation on the Security and Resilience of Submarine Cable Infrastructures and the EU Action Plan on Cable Security.

Next steps

The Commission has adopted a formal selection decision on the list of selected projects on November 3rd, 2025. On this basis, the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) will proceed with the signature of the grant agreements and pre-financing of the selected project applicants.