It started from the splendid Aeolian scenery of Malfa, on the island of Salina, #BUL Ultra Broadband for Sicily 4.0, the cycle of events on digitization that will touch all the Sicilian provinces in the coming months. The initiative is organized by Sicilian Region - Authority for technological innovation e Open Fiber, the company owned by Enel and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti which won the tenders for the construction of a public network in the less digitized areas of the country. Beyond infratel, in-house company of Ministry of Economic Development, the initial stage of the tour was supported bymunicipal administration of Malfa, among the first Italian locations that will soon be able to benefit from future-proof digital services. Ultra-fast web connections capable of enabling telemedicine, telework, e-government, distance education, e-learning and all those applications with a high technological impact intended to improve the life of citizens, businesses and public administrations.
The main theme of the meeting was tourism, the main economic resource of a territory of enormous naturalistic value which, however, suffers from a delay precisely from the point of view of digitization. A gap already filled in Malfa, where the construction sites of the BUL Plan are completed. It was precisely on the central role played by the Sicilian Region that Dr Vincent Falgares, general manager of the regional authority for technological innovation: "The regional government is very sensitive to insularity issues and has decided to start this process of knowledge of what is happening in Sicily to give even more insight into the digital transformation underway in Sicily and its social, economic as well as purely technological implications. Among other things, it is an intervention that takes place in a short time compared to the common perception of public works”.
“We are facing a large investment made possible – it should be emphasized especially in this period – thanks to Europe, thanks to the Operational Program and the regional structural funds. In Sicily – highlighted Falgares – the investment process in digital infrastructures started way back in 2011, with the first broadband plan co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund 2007-2013: with that intervention 142 municipalities were reached and about two million inhabitants. The second major intervention desired by the Musumeci Government is the one currently underway, with progressing results that are placing us at the forefront of the Italian regions. This investment is worth about 161 million euros, a part coming from the rural development plan, a significant element for the potential expressed by agricultural businesses. Without the digital infrastructure, there are no tools to realize this enormous potential. To the 161 million of the BUL Plan must be added the 75 of the previous investment: over 230 million euros which represent the largest volume of infrastructural ultra-broadband networks compared to the national average. A path that does not end here, another 80 million are planned for the development of the 2020 Regional Digital Agenda. In the Region we have also created a support structure for the development of services and applications: the infrastructure must in fact be used in the best possible way and allowing everyone to benefit from it. One of the main actions is intended for tourism: in the next few days the services conference for the creation of the new regional tourist portal will start, which the new government has imagined opening especially to the business system. The other sector at the center of attention is that of healthcare: it is no coincidence that we are starting work on a Portal for the regional supra Cup, in order to offer the Sicilian citizen in real time the best possible solution for his Health".
The updated numbers of the intervention of Open Fiber, the state concessionaire in the so-called "white areas" - areas throughout Italy in which no private operator has shown interest in investing - were disclosed by the engineer Clara Distefano, regional manager for Sicily of Open Fiber: “The BUL Plan is proceeding more than quickly in Sicily. Currently we have already completed the infrastructure works in 48 municipalities with construction sites in another 100 locations in the various Sicilian provinces. The marketing of ultra-broadband network connectivity services is about to start in 13 Sicilian municipalities out of the 70 included in trials on a national basis. Among these is Malfa, where in recent months - thanks to the collaboration and support of the citizens, the municipal administration and in particular Enel Distribuzione - it has been possible to carry out a delicate intervention such as the aerial laying of our fiber optic cables on the medium voltage line. Despite the three days of inconvenience with the interruption of the electricity supply from 5 to 9 in the morning, moreover in the summer, we achieved the result without critical issues. We were thus able to bind the radio base station that serves the hamlet of Pollara through FWA technology. The center of Malfa instead sees about 600 real estate units wired in FTTH optical fiber, i.e. the fiber right inside the building. A guarantee in terms of speed (up to 1 Gigabit per second) and connection stability which also and above all concerns the two schools of Malfa, the municipal library, the emergency medical service, the Town Hall, the cinema-auditorium and the Center for employment".
Instead, he thought about doing the honors Clara Rametta, mayor of Malfa with a very clear idea in mind: to make her island one Smart Island: “From the first contact, we understood that we were faced with a decisive project for the development of our island. And that's why we can't wait to be able to directly benefit from such an important innovation. The goal, thanks to this infrastructure, is to develop application services for citizens and tourists, favoring nature trails and the protection of the territory in all its expressions. Therefore, improve the welcome reserved for our guests and make life easier for those who live on the island by simplifying access to essential services. Seasonally adjusting, allowing anyone to work in optimal conditions at any time of the year are an integral part of our vision of sustainability”.
An interesting point of view on the potential of an entirely fiber optic telecommunications infrastructure was finally provided by Joseph of Syracuse, president ofHoteliers Association Salina Isola Verde. “Last year Salina registered 35 visitors, 20 foreigners with a strong incidence of English and French. A percentage of foreign presences far higher than the Italian and Sicilian average, which among other things makes it even more evident the distance between the digital service that our guests find on the island compared to those to which they are accustomed. A tourist from London, accustomed to navigating with “Ferrari” performance, on the other hand finds in Salina when it's good “small car” connections. This makes us less competitive, also because the first request from guests upon arrival at the hotel is the wi-fi password. Not to mention the inconvenience experienced by us tour operators: managing our activities remotely, with booking systems based entirely on online platforms, is almost impossible at the moment. This is why we await this service as a decisive resolution of many of our problems".
