The smartphone? By now "it is also an emotional extension of people", word of Aldo Bisio, CEO of Vodafone Italia who in an interview with Repubblica, takes stock of the strategies of the group which was the first to ride the wave of innovation and ultra-fast connection.
Vodafone puts the helm on 5G, the new super-fast technological standard, capable of connecting simultaneously - explains Bisio - "1 million devices against 10-20 thousand of 4G". A new connection model designed for the Internet of things, i.e. to simultaneously connect objects to each other, as well as people, and which will be able to count on latency times (the response time of the network) of less than 5 milliseconds: thus a car unmanned it can walk safely, recognize a pedestrian and brake in time. “As a Vodafone group – says the manager – we are at the forefront of 5G. Our commitment in Italy is to cover three cities by 2020”.
Looking at the present, Bisio underlines the choice to support and promote Open Fiber's entry into the field: "It fills a gap - he says - that existed in Italy and will make it possible to increase the country's competitiveness. We covered all three major cities with fiber up to the house in Milan, Bologna, Turin with offers up to 1 Giga and we started with the first season tickets also in Perugia. When fully operational, we will reach 250 cities and 9,5 million homes. Fiber is the future of telecommunications for the next 50 years, investing in copper today is anti-historical”.
Returning to smartphones and 4G, according to the CEO of Vodafone Italia, they will be a fundamental driving force towards Internet Banking. “We have integrated PayPal into our wallet for mobile payments. Our customers who have a PayPal account can use it with POS in the physical world, not just in e-commerce. The mobile opens the way to a cashless society, more agile and secure also in the traceability of money”.
Finally, online TV. The Netflix phenomenon? We don't fear him but we respect him replies Bisio. “We are preparing for the entry of a new operator who will bring new elements to an already vital and innovative market”. Meanwhile, Vodafone pushes on television. The reason? “Statistics – underlines Aldo Bisio – say that today videos occupy 60% of the network, in 2020 traffic will rise to 80%. With Vodafone TV we have created an integrated platform that offers Now TV, Sky, Discovery, Netflix, Chili and others. The TV of tomorrow will be having television narration on many screens, depending on the place and needs".
