The frequency auction is proving to be an excellent deal for the state coffers, which will be able to collect over 6 billion euros compared to the 2,5 initially foreseen. All this reinforces what is known: the future of 5G will bring great benefits to the country's productive development.
In the meantime, the entire TLC sector is going through a delicate moment of transition with prospects that are, in some cases, rather uncertain. This is the business of transmission towers, a sector in which for some years there has been talk of setting up a so-called "pole" where the set of audiovisual signal transmission structures, today owned for the most part, converge in an organic and coordinated way of Ei Towers and Rai Way, controlled respectively by Mediaset and Rai, without forgetting Persidera, about which we will write later.
The future of 5G and that of the towers follow parallel tracks. The application of new technology needs of a capillary network of small towers scattered over the territory. The evaluation remains open whether or not such systems will be able to lead to a significant increase in the levels of the electromagnetic field in urban and residential environments due to the new fixed sources, since a greater capillarity also entails a lower concentration of power (Italian legislation is stricter with respect to what is contained in the European Recommendation 1999/519/EC).
As known, the areas of greatest interest of 5G are in the enhancement of all services related to businesses and the community that require large bandwidth capacity and very low latency times. In a recent document drawn up by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) significant down and upload parameters are set: 20 and 10 Mgps with a latency interval between 1 and 4 ms. In these conditions, in addition to the vast panorama of possible applications (and many not yet even explored) it is not difficult to imagine that even audiovisual signals can find a significant space. And it is perhaps that the great interest in possessing valuable frequencies can also be read in this light.
British broadcasters, starting with the historic BBC and OFCOM (English regulatory body) have already made their vision of the near future clear. The business plan recently approved by the British broadcaster reads: “Today the majority of our audience continues to enjoy the BBC's programs and services in a traditional broadcasting model. The majority will continue to do so – at least for some time. But rapid technological changes driven, in particular, by the internet and mobile devices mean that, more and more, the public will be able to choose to enjoy what they want, when they want, wherever they are. We're getting close to where all of this will soon become a reality for the BBC. It won't come immediately, but it's already happening much faster than many have predicted."
Important moments of verification will be the international conferences foreseen as early as next year. It could mean that Will 5G accompany the decline of DTT in favor of streaming diffusion? The British are gearing up towards this concrete possibility.
In this key you can read recent events related to the tower market. In recent days Rai Way has returned to office with an offer “to the members of Persidera subject to certain conditions, for the acquisition of the network infrastructure and related assets of that company”. The listed company with Viale Mazzini majority shareholder with this initiative has raised some questions.
First of all, is it an operation agreed with the current, recently established top management or is it a remnant of the previous management (it must be remembered that a previous attempt has already taken place together with F2I last February)? The difference is no small matter because it leads to clarifying the strategic perspectives of this operation. In what direction do you intend to proceed, with what orientations?
The value of the towers in the near future, starting from 2020, coinciding with the start of the process of releasing frequencies in the 700 Mhz band by radio broadcasters with a consequent reduction in the number of multiplexes transported, could undergo a drastic downsizing and, with these premises, the business is done by the seller and not by the buyer. The application of the art. 89 of the recent Finance Law entails, as mentioned several times, the overall reduction of the multiplexes available and a complex revision of the Rai multiplexes destined for the broadcasting of regional programmes.
There are many doubts about the possible reduction of audience areas (calculated, according to an internal document circulating in Viale Mazzini, at around 5/6 million users) and the consequent costs necessary to deal with the adaptation of the systems (around 200 million, to be verified and compared with those which the direct competitor Mediaset). The Via Teulada listed company, from when the listing took place in 2014 until 2017, showed growth in revenues only for the part coming from Rai (from 207 to 216 million) while, for the part coming from third parties, there was a very modest increase of 0,1 million, with a tendential reduction highlighted in the last half-year, while investments are also marking time. Translated in a nutshell: incisiveness on the market? Zero, charcoal.
How to interpret all this? Two hypotheses: either the Persidera operation is a mere financial maneuver or it implies a lucid vision of the future in view of the possible launch of the "pole of the towers" where Rai Way would appear with greater relative weight. But, as mentioned before, who leads this operation? What does the majority shareholder think, who, so far, is represented on the board by only one member (the others are independent and the CEO himself is not a Rai employee)? As always, the market will decide.
