Italy's state-owned infrastructure agency Infratel announced the launch of a tender to bring high-speed broadband infrastructure to nearly 7 million addresses in grey areas all over the country as part of the government's post-pandemic National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The tender is one of the first of a number of processes that come under the 'Italia a 1 Giga' project to promote the development of fibre and 5G networks, with several more set to be launched over the next 3 months.
Interested parties have until 16 March to submit bids to connect grey areas (where no other operator has plans to develop an NGA network) to gigabit speeds. The lots have been divided into 15 geographical areas, with bidders able to win a maximum of eight. The EUR 3.7 billion of funds made available for the tenders will cover up to 70 percent of the expenses and winning bidders are being given until 30 June 2026 to complete the rollout. A total of 6.9 million addresses, including public buildings, are included in the plan.
The government of prime minister Mario Draghi is aiming to bring high-speed broadband connections to even the “whitest” digital divide parts of the country by 2026 through an acceleration of fibre and 5G rollouts financed by the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
Earlier this month Agcom launched a consultation on the guidelines for wholesale access to fibre and 5G networks ahead of the forthcoming national tenders.
