Empty Spain is a reality defined by depopulation, aging and a growing disconnection from essential services. For example, more than 4,300 Spanish municipalities (57% of the total) do not have bank offices, which directly affects more than 1.5 million people, according to the Report on Financial Inclusion carried out by Ivie. The closure of offices, motivated by digitalization and cost reduction, especially affects older people and rural areas. Faced with this challenge, technology such as remote services emerge as a key tool to reverse isolation, with proposals such as the Arppa System from the company Zelenza, which seeks to promote more equitable development and reconnect rural communities.
The diagnosis of rural Spain is clear. According to various official sources (ONTSI, INE, etc.) around 13 million citizens are affected by poor connectivity; two out of every ten inhabitants in these areas lack access to the internet. Although fiber optic coverage has experienced spectacular growth, reaching 86.52% of rural households as of June 2024 (according to the Broadband Coverage Report of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation), there is still a percentage of the population that does not have this high-speed infrastructure, which limits the effective deployment of remote services.
This gap is not only in infrastructure, but also in training. Beyond connectivity, the lack of digital skills persists as a crucial barrier: it is estimated that more than a third of the Spanish population lacks basic digital skills, a figure that rises significantly in older age groups (according to studies on digital skills such as those by ONTSI). This combination of factors aggravates isolation and makes access to basic services difficult after the closure of bank branches, administrative offices or health centers, making remote services even more necessary and forcing thousands of people to make long and costly trips. The result is increased isolation and inequality.
Against this backdrop, technological solutions are emerging that seek to bring in-person services, operated remotely, directly to affected communities through remote services. The idea is to install terminals or “virtual windows” in central locations in towns so that citizens can carry out critical procedures with the help of a human agent through a screen.
Empty Spain has a future, and technology is its great catalyst
A concrete example of this trend is the Arppa System, from the technology company Zelenza. This system is based on a network of multi-service terminals (for banking, administration, etc.) that connect the user in real time with a specialized agent, reinforcing access to remote services. An operations center coordinates and supervises the network, guaranteeing the security and operation of the service.
A bridge towards inclusion and sustainable development
This remote care model based on remote services directly addresses several of the most urgent challenges of emptied Spain:
- Combat the shortage of services: The terminals become functional substitutes for physical branches, allowing residents to carry out banking operations, administrative procedures or telemedicine consultations through remote services without the need to travel.
- Reduces the digital divide: The design of these systems is usually intuitive, but their main advantage is human assistance. An agent guides the user through the entire process, empowering people with less digital skills, especially the older population who often feel intimidated by technology. Human interaction, even if remote, makes digital tasks accessible to everyone.
- Economic sustainability: The centralized model and the use of versatile terminals make it economically viable to deploy remote services in areas of low population density, where investment in infrastructure and physical personnel would be unsustainable.
By restoring access to essential services, these technologies help combat social isolation and improve quality of life. Residents regain autonomy and the penalty for living in a rural area is reduced, which in turn can make these territories more attractive to live in.
These types of solutions do not operate alone. They are part of a broader national effort to improve connectivity in rural Spain, which includes the expansion of fiber optics, satellite and 5G. The value of these remote care systems lies in complementing the infrastructure, ensuring that, once connected, citizens have effective and accessible tools such as remote services to take advantage of that connectivity.
Empty Spain has a future, and technology is its great catalyst. Initiatives such as remote service points demonstrate that innovation, when implemented with a human and strategic approach, is the key to weaving a network of opportunities that not only combats depopulation, but also promotes greater equity and vibrant development for a more connected and lively rural Spain.
