City and rural networks

Access networks in the countryside or in urban areas

Access network is the outermost part of a telecommunications or data communication network that reaches into the user's property and which it uses to access another network or the network as a whole. In telephony, access networks usually refer to the connection from subscriber to local telecommunications station or equivalent. In data communication, access networks can also have a broader definition and refer to rural or urban networks.

In rural areas, network construction is largely governed by non-profit fibre associations and it is possible to submit an application for state broadband support. In smaller municipalities, the local "Energiverket" can provide assistance with regard to expansion in urban areas where broadband support is not available.

In larger towns, the market will handle the expansion in purely commercial forms. The cost to households is at approximately the same level regardless of where you live, provided that you are included in either the rural or urban construction category.