Rossetti (OF): “Bringing ultrabroadband to even the most rural and remote areas of the country is a priority and a social mission for Open Fiber”.
Ferigo (INWIT): “A further step towards reducing the digital divideDigital Divide A term to describe the gap between those who can use new information and communication technologies and those who, for technical, economic or social reasons, are unable to use them. Read the news item “Digital divide and social inequality: the role of Open Fiber” to find out more., to build a more inclusive and sustainable society”.
Rome 26th July 2022 – INWIT, Italy’s main tower operator, and Open Fiber, the top operator of FTTHFTTH “Fiber to the Home” is the technology that connects POPs, located in exchanges, to end users’ property units with fiber optics. (Fiber To The Home) networkNetwork In computer language, the term network defines a set of hardware and software devices which, when linked together, enable the exchange and sharing of resources, data or information. In a computer network, the devices that generate, route and terminate data are called network nodes. infrastructure, and one of the leaders in Europe, have signed a strategic agreement to provide FWAFWA Also known as ‘Wireless Local Loop’ (WLL), FWA refers to the use of radio solutions to cover the last mile to property units dispersed in very sparsely populated areas. A main antenna, typically connected to the network via fiber optics, covers an area of varying size where an antenna is mounted on each property unit equipped with an apparatus that transforms the radio signal and enables the connection of the CPE (Customer Premises Equipment), the electronic device used as a user-side terminal. (Fixed WirelessWireless Connections that use ‘wireless’ transmission systems to connect the user’s device to the network. Typical examples are 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, and WiMax. Access) technology coverage for over 600 municipalities across the country. The partnership will make a major contribution to reducing the digital divide in Italy, a gap that is not only technological but also social and industrial.
The agreement provides for the design and construction of up to a maximum of 500 new sites by INWIT, with construction starting in 2022, and the related hospitality and infrastructure maintenance services. Open Fiber will provide the sites with FWA equipment and fibre optic connections. The intention is to facilitate access to the ultrabroadband network in areas of the country where it is still limited or absent.
Thanks to this new agreement, Open Fiber aims to accelerate coverage in small municipalities and inland areas and, in particular, in areas that are difficult to reach with FTTH connectivity. To date, the company has reached over 14 million homes, companies and government offices with its infrastructure. Around 4,000 small municipalities and 200 cities are already able to use the digital services available on the ultrabroadband network created by Open Fiber.
For INWIT, the agreement is a further opportunity to expand its infrastructure with sites equipped with technological and structural features particularly suited to fulfilling the growing demand from FWA operators, with a return profile in line with its business model. INWIT is therefore strengthening its role as the main neutral hostNeutral host Neutral host is a model designed to optimise the costs involved in providing cellular network signal coverage inside large buildings or for temporary events such as trade fairs or gatherings. In such cases, each Operator should set up its own infrastructure (masts, antennas, power, etc.). A neutral host solution would instead allow a single infrastructure to be set up and access to be sold to all interested Operators. infrastructure operator in Italy, serving all mobile, FWA and IoTIoT The ‘Internet of things’ is the idea of networking any device with a power button. Paradoxically, this can be anything, from mobile phones to coffee machines, washing machines, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, headphones, lamps, and wearable devices. This also applies to internal machine components, such as sensors in a car. This immense network of connected objects could improve many aspects of our lives: imagine a refrigerator which, by reading the barcodes of the products it stores, could tell us what is about to expire and what has run out, allowing it to suggest a shopping list. A coffee machine that switches on at the right time knowing the alarm time set on your smartphone, a car that suggests the best route to take based on traffic information sent by other cars. operators, in line with the evolution of its towers from real estate assets to digital infrastructure, contributing to a reduction in the digital divide.
“We are working each day to build the network that will enable the country to keep pace with the ongoing digital revolution,” said Mario Rossetti, CEO of Open Fiber. “The INWIT agreement is one more step that confirms our commitment to providing the areas that are still not reached by adequate connectivity with next generation network infrastructure. Given the powerful social value of our work, the acceleration and completion of the network in white areasWhite Areas White Areas are those where private operators have not deemed it worthwhile to invest and therefore lack broadband and ultra-broadband infrastructure. is a top priority for Open Fiber, a fact backed up by our second quarter 2022 production figures – the best result ever achieved by Open Fiber”.
“This agreement is intended as further step towards reducing the digital divide, i.e. reducing the digital social marginalisation that unfortunately still exists in many areas of our country – says INWIT CEO Giovanni Ferigo. If we really want to build an inclusive and sustainable society, we must think of digitalisation as an ally, as an enabling tool for a more sustainable future for all”.
About Open Fiber
Open Fiber was created to build an ultrabroadband fibre optic network infrastructure (FTTH) across the country. The aim is to provide coverage for the main Italian cities and connect rural areas with an ultrabroadband fibre network, providing increasingly advanced services and features for citizens, businesses and government offices. Open Fiber is a wholesaleWholesale Open Fiber is a ‘wholesale only’ operator, i.e. it operates exclusively in the wholesale market, offering access on fair and non-discriminatory terms to all interested Market Operators.-only operator, it does not sell fibre optic services directly to the end customer, but makes its infrastructure available to all interested operators on equal terms. With over 14 million ultrabroadband UIs already connected, Open Fiber is Italy’s leading FTTH optical fibre operator and one of the leaders in Europe.
Open Fiber Press Office
About INWIT:
INWIT, Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane S.p.A., is the largest operator in the wireless infrastructure sector in Italy and it builds and manages technological plants and civil structures (towers, pylons and masts) which house radio transmission equipment, mainly to serve telecommunications operators. INWIT’s infrastructure consists of an integrated ecosystem of macro-grids, approximately 23,000 towers distributed throughout the country, and micro-grids, over 6,000 DAS (“Distributed Antenna Systems”) and small cells on which the transmission equipment of all the main mobile and FWA operators is hosted, as well as IoT sensors. Since 2015, INWIT shares have been traded on the Electronic Share Market of the Italian Stock Exchange, called Euronext Milan.
INWIT Press Office