The Republic of San Marino will be the first State in Europe - and one of the first in the world - to have a 5G mobile network. Today the project started the operational phase, thanks to the Memorandum of Understanding signed by TIM and the Government of the Republic of San Marino, the contents of which were presented by Andrea Zafferani, Secretary of State, Giovanni Ferigo, TIM Head of Technology, Stefano Ciurli , TIM Head of Wholesale, and Cesare Pisani, CEO of TIM San Marino.
From this year TIM will start to update the mobile sites of its network in the Republic of San Marino with 4.5G, introducing some of the features of 5G, such as evolved mast towers (MIMO4x4), Carrier Aggregation, superior modulation, and Cloud architecture, as well as introducing “small cells”, small, low power masts with low environmental impact in the principal streets and piazzas of the historical centre of the Republic of San Marino, a Unesco world heritage site. The technology plan includes doubling the number of existing mobile sites and installing several dozen “small cells”, linked by optic fibre and distributed throughout the whole of the territory of San Marino. The particular geographical shape of this territory, and the distribution of its industries favour the use and development of innovative technologies.
Thanks to this work, it will be possible to start the first testing of 5G technology on a national scale within the next year, introducing on both the mobile sites and the small cells the additional frequencies dedicated to the new 5G radio interface (New Radio) that enable much broader bandwidths to be used and which, combined with even more innovative masts (Massive MIMO and Beamforming) will allow the system to reach performance levels that the current mobile technologies could never have reached, with the aim of boosting the creation of a new generation mobile network, confirming the TIM Group's commitment to mobile innovation, a role it also plays on the world stage, contributing to the definition of the 5G standard.
The “San Marino 5G” project envisages the testing of all 5G technologies and services, up to and including its progressive introduction throughout the whole of San Marino, with the aim of making available to the people, businesses and local government offices a new mobile infrastructure with considerable transmission capacity - around 10 times that of 4G - and able to connect a very large number of objects, well ahead of the 2020 European Union deadline.
The delivery of the new 5G network will enable the creation of an "ecosystem” of local partners, including the San Marino government, the university and research centres, hospitals, sports bodies, industry, the national tourism office and local transport, through which innovative services can be tested for smart cities, public safety, the environment, healthcare, tourism and culture, transport and media. The new applications developed thanks to 5G will bring economic and social benefits for the whole of society.
5G is both an "evolution” and a “revolution” in the world of mobile telecommunications. In fact it will not be a replacement of the pre-existing systems, first and foremost LTE, which will continue its own evolution, but will introduce new communication paradigms, also making use of very high frequencies (or “millimetric” waves) in specific scenarios that require extremely high transmission bands. The system will also bring a significant transformation in the areas of business (Industry 4.0, self-driving cars, the Internet of Things, Metering and the Smart City) that will be involved in defining and developing it.
The radiating systems used in this testing will also use the very latest technology available, also with the aim of reducing visual effects as much as possible, minimising environmental impact while also maximising energy efficiency.
With this initiative the Republic of San Marino will be one of the first countries in the world to introduce 5G service, to become the preferential location for the start of testing and subsequently for the public use of the new technologies. Specifically, TIM, also through its subsidiary, TIM San Marino, will be able to supply to the San Marino government the new generation services linked to the Smart City, such as those relating to public security, the management of public transport fleets and the provision of the their related information services, as well as remote surveillance solutions in extensive areas of the territory, virtual reality to support tourism and, through the introduction of 5G technologies in the production processes used in its manufacturing industry, even new services to develop Industry 4.0 in the San Marino area.
The agreement signed today consolidates the collaboration between TIM and the Republic of San Marino, a relationship which has led, in recent years, to the development of innovative services in the Smart City and e-tourism sectors (such as the Livein.sm portal), thanks also to the implementation of the new optic fibre network.
“We are extremely satisfied and happy that TIM has chosen the Republic of San Marino as the first country in the world to test an innovative technology like 5G, linked to the mobile network. A decision – Andrea Zafferani, Secretary of State at the department of Industry with responsibility for Telecommunications emphasises – that confirms and further strengthens the link the TIM Group has with the country. A sharing of intent and strategic choices that over the years has led to the creation of major infrastructure, as well as to the added value provided by the presence of San Marino-registered companies working in the area which can only strengthen and enhance the presence of the TIM Group in the Republic. The services and applications that will result from the introduction of 5G can only bring benefit, in the immediate future, to the manufacturing world and the community of San Marino.”
“The signing of this agreement demonstrates TIM's capacity to be a leader in innovation processes - stated Giovanni Ferigo, Head of Technology at TIM -. We are among the first in the world to invest in the development of new ultrabroadband networks: they are the future, fast connections and the development of the city. When we talk about big data, digital identity and the Internet of Things, we are aware that underlying all this there is always the quality and speed of the networks. TIM has the privilege of being the leading company for the development of our digital culture, and, today, this agreement adds another major building block to our strategy, allowing us to create the First 5G State in the World, projecting the Republic of San Marino into the future ahead of countries such as Japan and South Korea, which have always led the way in technological innovation."
San Marino, 17 July 2017
