The diffusion of smartphones and the demand for mobile broadband are experiencing unprecedented growth. There are over 26 million "smart phones" active in Italy, almost one Italian out of two owns one, for a volume of internet traffic that has more than doubled in the last year.
Smartphones purchased in 2012 numbered 9,5 million and are used every day for numerous activities: from consulting the weather (40%) to reading emails (39%), from social networks (34%) to maps (30%) . On average, each phone has 27 apps installed. This is the snapshot of the growing use of smartphones by Italians, who increasingly ask to be able to access the network and new generation services.
To respond to this demand and make 3G and 4G mobile broadband within everyone's reach, Vodafone has announced a new infrastructure investment plan and the birth of dedicated offers and products. The first of these products is Vodafone Smart 4G, the latest addition to the "Vodafone Branded" family, a smartphone designed for those who want to take advantage of the speed of the fourth generation network at the most competitive price on the market, without sacrificing the quality of the materials and performances.
Equipped with a 4,5-inch screen, NFC technology, an 8 megapixel camera and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, the new Vodafone phone allows you to fully enjoy the potential of the 4G network, at a cost of 199 euros. Smart 4G can be purchased at Vodafone shops and on the website www.vodafone.it.
Spring, investments in ultra-broadband
To extend network coverage and strengthen performance, the Vodafone Group recently announced a worldwide investment plan called Spring. Thanks to this project, Vodafone will double its investments in Italy over the next 2 years, adding 1,8 billion euros to the 900 million that the company invests each year in technologies, fixed and mobile networks, infrastructures and advanced platforms. Thanks to these 3,6 billion new investments, by 2016 Vodafone will be able to double the coverage of the 43.2 Mbps mobile network (HSDPA+), which today reaches around 600 Italian municipalities, and more than triple the extension of the 4G network, already active in 46 of the main towns and tourist resorts.
A further acceleration of ultra-broadband in Italy, which also includes the extension of the fixed network with Vodafone fiber optic coverage of 150 cities, for a total of over 6,5 million families reached.
Rete Veloce, the Agcom surveys
Already today, Vodafone's mobile broadband represents a case of excellence in Italy, thanks to the constant commitment to technological and infrastructural development. In fact, Vodafone's mobile data network recently obtained the record for average download speed based on the surveys carried out on the 3G data network in the first half of 2013 by Agcom's 'Misurainternetmobile' campaign. The results of the Agcom survey can be consulted on the website www.misurainternetmobile.it.
