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    HomeAccessItalian municipalities and operators agree to expedite ultrafast and 5G networks 

    Italian municipalities and operators agree to expedite ultrafast and 5G networks 

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    Operators sign agreement to simplify administrative processes and speed up National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) activations

    Italy’s Digital Transformation Department, the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI), Infratel Italia and the operators INWIT, Vodafone, TIM and Open Fiber have signed an MoU to accelerate the implementation of the Italy 1 Giga and Italy 5G operational plans envisaged as part of Investment 3 “Ultra-fast and 5G networks” of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. 

    “The objective of the MoU is to create the conditions necessary for the diffusion of ultra-fast networks and 5G throughout the national territory through operational agreements between municipalities and TLC operators,” said Undersecretary for Innovation Alessio Butti.  

    “By signing the agreement, the operators will guarantee municipal administrations timely information on times and methods of intervention, the possibility of activating preventive collaboration mechanisms and, compatibly with the PNRR milestones, giving priority to the infrastructures of their territory,” he said.  

    “We want Municipalities to become protagonists of the country’s digital transformation processes, supporting them, thanks to the precious contribution of ANCI, Infratel Italia and operators,” he said. “There are 7,901 municipal administrations to be reached with high-speed network infrastructures: we need connectivity to increase development opportunities for the territory and bring citizens closer to digital services, without leaving anyone behind.” 

    Three separate agreements 

    The MoU, which is valid until 30 June 2026, comprises three operational agreements, one for the 1 Giga Italy Plan and two for the 5G Italy Plan, which the municipalities will be able to join according to their needs. 

    More specifically, each operator will have to provide the municipalities with an operating agreement that includes the rules and guidelines to follow. This document will contain the regulations, collaboration procedures, work techniques and a commitment from the operator to carry out the interventions correctly and promptly, as established by the plan. 

    “The availability of ultra-broadband connectivity throughout the country is an indispensable prerequisite for giving equal rights to all citizens and supporting the development of territories, whether they are metropolitan cities or small mountain or rural municipalities,” said ANCI president and mayor of Bari Antonio Decaro,  

    “With the signing of this agreement, we want to achieve the objective of providing institutions with certain information on the timing and methods of carrying out the interventions and administrative tools that can allow them to better relate to the operators,” he added.  

    “The protocol marks an important step in our collaboration with Italian municipalities to bring, together with the Department for Digital Transformation and partner operators, digital infrastructures and services from the north to the south of the peninsula, focusing on the transparency and accessibility of information even in key to speeding up administrative processes,” added Infratel Italia CEO Marco Bellezza. 

    Open Fiber CEO may resign anyway

    Despite the agreement, Bloomberg has reported that Open Fiber CEO Mario Rossetti is planning to resign, amid possible tensions over strategy with the Italian Government, according to people familiar with the matter.

    Rossetti could step down as soon as next week after less than two years at the helm of the company, according to ther report. The former head of Rome-based utility Acea, Giuseppe Gola, is among the candidates to replace Rossetti. A spokesman for Open Fiber declined to comment.

    Open Fiber and Telecom Italia SpA have periodically discussed a merger that would include a prominent role for state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, which controls Open Fiber and owns almost 10% of the former phone monopoly, writes Bloomberg. Telecom Italia is in turn in talks to sell its network to KKR & Co. If successful, the offer from KKR and its partner, Italy’s Finance Ministry, could revive plans to merge Telecom Italia’s network with Open Fiber’s.

    Smart city showcase 

    Earlier this month, TIM Enterprise and Anci joined forces in a series of events to promote smart cities. According to estimates by the TIM Study Centre, by 2027 investments in ICT solutions for smart cities will have grown to around €1.6bn. The event is the first of a series of local events which will take place in Bari (today), Naples, Catania and Padua (9, 20 and 30 November respectively), ending in Rome in December. 

    TIM said that between 2023 and 2027, smart city applications based on 5G, IoT and artificial intelligence in Italy will help to reduce city traffic costs by a total of approximately €6.5bn and those linked to urban pollution by more than €400m through improved planning of the public and private transport system and tourist flows. 

    Big ambitions 

    Last month, the Undersecretary shared Italy’s new National Strategy for Ultra-Broadband with the Council of Ministers, which puts in place a three-year action plan (2023-2026) to extend fixed and mobile access to ultra-fast internet across the nation.  

    The plan features several areas of intervention, on the supply and demand sides, and will see €2.8bn investment which will include savings from the EU-funded post-Covid National Recovery and Resilience Plan. In the plan all households will receive 1Gbps or more fixed network coverage with remote areas seeing at least 100Mbps.  

    5G SA network coverage should cover the whole country while user take-up should be at least 50% of the fixed network and speeds should reach 1Gbps. The plan also features commitments to edge computing to reduce operator costs. Italy will need to motor on to hit these milestones by 2026.