The main objective of the BReATH project is to keenly support and facilitate the transfer of know-how and diffuse best

practices in planning and delivering broadband services and access and to involve as many stakeholders and actors as possible, e.g. agencies, telecom industry, special interest groups and particularly SMEs. The know-how transfer and knowledge dissemination is expected to mainly benefit NMS and ACC countries in the IST programme in the field of broadband and e-services and to help identify opportunities. In support of this, it will seek to attract the involvement and support of a broad range of organisations that have an interest in the FP6 programmes and in the transfer of technology and expertise.

It is vital that future R&D addresses the needs of the wider community. In BReATH the focus is placed on the needs of

users who can benefit from the availability of broadband access and e-services. This is mainly residential users, but can also include other types of small user such as small businesses and public services such as community networks, schools, libraries and medical centres where the economics of broadband make more sense than expensive dedicated high speed connections.

Before these needs can be fully met there must be industrial cooperation and transfer of know how and technology. The

BReATH project aims at fully promoting the “Broadband For All” vision and activities and demonstrate its benefits for the EU citizens as well as the take up of e-services. An expected outcome is to effectively create an ideal environment for cross-border collaboration and partnerships among the project’s participants that could lead to further and greater inter-regional co-operation. It aims at providing a framework that will enable a favourable environment for the creation and deployment of new broadband services under sustainable financial models and subsequently, in the longer term, to help bridge the digital gap across EU countries.

The urge to create incentives for investment (for businesses) and raise confidence and demand (from the users) towards

accomplishing the goals of the eEurope 2005 Action Plan is a sought target. In this context we will assess the progress made and further exploit the results of the eEurope+ Action Plan and at the same time strongly and eagerly support the implementation of the eEurope 2005 Action Plan and solidify its recommendations.

The project’s specific objectives can be summarized across seven main axes:

The expected results of the project are the following: