Coverage in Cyprus of very high capacity networks (VHCN) reached 77.1% in 2023, a 28.5% increase compared to last year, the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy said, regarding the results of the European Commission’s annual report which evaluates member states’ digital maturity and the implementation of the objectives of Europe’s Digital Decade policy programme.

In an announcement, the Deputy Ministry notes that Cyprus recorded “significant progress” in the annual report. “Our country is on a steady upward trajectory in a number of indicators, with the highest increase recorded in the development of gigabit connectivity infrastructure and the percentage of specialised Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the labour market”, it said.

It further states that VHCN coverage reached 77.1% in 2023, a 28.5% increase compared to last year, while Cyprus is expected to reach the 100% target by the end of 2025, through state subsidies for the expansion of networks in areas outside of private interest.

Cyprus, it adds, has already achieved 100% coverage in terms of 5G mobile networks, reaching the European target for 2030 seven years earlier.

“Particularly encouraging” were the results regarding the increase in the percentage of ICT specialists, which, it said, has exceeded the European average of 4.8% and now stands at 5.4%.

This, the Deputy Ministry said, was pivotal for accelerating digital transformation, as well as for the adoption of advanced key technologies for the development of innovative solutions to socio-economic and environmental challenges.

Upgrading the digital skills of the general population, as well as the further development of electronic health services, was still an important challenge, however, it notes.

The announcement also said that, as regards digitisation of government services, “a key government priority”, Cyprus achieved an improvement of 16.3%, “a rate that is several times higher than the 3.1% average growth rate in Europe”, with more digital services offered both to citizens and local businesses.

At the same time, it said that despite the fact that the majority of Cypriot small and medium-sized enterprises, were at a satisfactory level of digital maturity, the adoption rates as regards advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, were still relatively low.

“Nevertheless, the results regarding the use of cloud services by businesses are encouraging”, it said, adding that Cyprus, at 45.5%, ranked above the European average (38.9%).

Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Dr. Nikodemos Damianou, expressed his satisfaction with the fact that the country's digital ecosystem was growing at a steady pace and was taking steps in the right direction, it said, as regards the results.

The Government, he said, remains committed to the goal of digital transition and the implementation of digital solutions with a direct impact on the daily life of citizens.