Open Fiber advances apace with the development plan for ultra-broadband. The 50% Enel and 50% CDP company presented the 2019 plan for the so-called white areas, i.e. those in which the market is not convenient enough to push private investments alone. In fact, in those areas we proceed on Infratel tenders, the public company for the construction of the fiber network in the most disadvantaged areas.
Open Fiber has won all three tenders announced by Infratel and is proceeding expeditiously towards the construction of the infrastructure. According to the latest data presented by the company and communicated on March 6, at the end of February FTTH (Fiber To The Home, the fiber that arrives directly inside homes and businesses) fiber optic construction sites were opened in over 1000 Italian municipalities. To these building sites are added another 310 in Fwa (Fixed Wireless Access) technology which will allow coverage of scattered houses and places that are difficult to reach. Currently, Open Fiber has announced,over 1.9 million real estate units are in the works.
Furthermore, in 4 pilot municipalities – Anguillara Sabazia (RM), Campagnano Romano (RM), San Giovanni La Punta (CT) and Fino Mornasco (CO) – the marketing of connectivity services has already been launched on an experimental basis.
In the course of 2019 Open Fiber aims to open construction sites in a further 2.000 Italian municipalities and to complete the works in around 850 of these. The entire project involves the cabling of 7.635 municipalities in all 20 Italian regions.
The data were illustrated to the Ministry of Development (Mise) by Minister Di Maio's legal adviser, Marco Bellezza, and by the CEOs of Open Fiber and Infratel - respectively Elisabetta Ripa and Domenico Tudini - to the representatives of the Regions. Through the simplification decree law, the Government has introduced important innovations to facilitate the authorization procedures. With the collaboration of all stakeholders, we will be able to complete this great work on schedule and make the benefits of a future-proof communication network accessible to communities".
Bellezza he underlined that the simplification of procedures, initiated by the government, "lays the conditions, including the regulations, for a more rapid implementation of the interventions of the BUL Plan". Ripa he added that Open Fiber, with the new rules and the collaboration of all stakeholders (including Regions and Municipalities that must authorize construction sites) will be able to "complete this great work on schedule and make the benefits of a future-proof communication network”. In the end Tudini he emphasized the fact that "the main objective for 2019 is to add another 1000 construction sites to the 2018 construction sites opened in 2000, as well as to test more than 500 of them to be launched for the activation of services for citizens".
