Aston University recently launched ECSTATIC, a €5. 9 million) European research project that repurposes fiber-optic telecom cables as real-time structural sensors. The Commission has signed 21 grant agreements for €142 million with backbone cable projects, bringing total funding to €420 million under the first CEF Digital Work Programme, reinforcing the EU's commitment to a connected and secure digital future. The EIB loan, supported under the European Commission's InvestEU programme, supports advanced fibre-optic sensing technology for energy. High-quality, energy efficient optical fibre telecommunication networks will be the backbone infrastructure to enable the digitalisation our lives, working environments, services and operations. Whatever forms the digitalisation will take and whatever technologies it may be using, a strong, robust. A new €5.