Telecom Italia (TIM) has reached an agreement with Italy's state-owned infrastructure firm Infratel to speed up the development of superfast internet in underserved parts of the country and address the need for a more efficient network during the coronavirus lockdown. In a statement, the partners said Infratel will provide fibre-optic backbone infrastructure in 8 regions (Abruzzo, Sardinia, Tuscany, Puglia, Calabria, Lazio, Lombardy and Marche), with TIM subsequently delivering local loops to street cabinets and installing electronics components.
The deal means the public fibre-optic networks installed by Infratel in so-called “white areas” and currently not under concession can be switched on in the coming weeks. A total of 241 digital divide localities can already access fibre-optic networks, rising to 310 by May with the activation of over 1,600 cabinets. Around 1 million residents, businesses and public administrations will benefit from the programme, said TIM.
The operator added that it will acquire a “significant amount” of dark-fibre infrastructure built by Infratel as part of the digital divide initiative, in keeping with the government’s strategy to increase superfast broadband access. It will deliver fibre speeds to localities covered by the project using both FTTH and above all FTTC technology.
Although wholesale rival Open Fiber has won all of the auctions run by the government in recent years to roll out fibre networks in underserved “white” zones, TIM specified that the areas included in the deal are subject to “direct intervention by Infratel Italia” and haven’t been previously put out to tender. Last summer the operator reached an agreement to switch on Infratel's dark fibre network infrastructure in an initial 600 localities not considered economically viable.
