The process of switching off TIM’s copper network in Italy will start in Trento. The Mattarello exchange, which serves an important area south of the city, is the first exchange in the country entirely cabled with Fibre To the Home (FTTH) technology and, therefore, all customers served by the exchange will be able to migrate to the new network with the consequent ‘switch-off’ of the copper network. This operation will see the exchange serve homes and offices directly with super-fast connections (up to 1 Gb).
The initiative, which starts the new phase of the country’s digitisation promoted by TIM, was announced during the signing of the agreement for digital cooperation signed by Maurizio Fugatti, President of the Autonomous Province of Trento, Franco Ianeselli, Mayor of Trento, and Luigi Gubitosi, CEO of TIM.
The aim of the understanding is to develop a virtuous model of collaboration between institutions, businesses and associations in order to speed up the digitisation of the territory, further boost economic growth and become a reference point in the country’s digital transformation process. All this will be achieved by encouraging citizens, businesses and the Public Administration itself to adopt the best technologies.
Now that the installation of FTTH at the exchange - which serves around 2000 telephone lines in District 8 of the city - is complete, TIM intends to promote the shift to ultrabroadband services of all customers served by this infrastructure, including those with other operators. The migration process will take place gradually on the basis of customer sign-ups. The agreement aims to inform citizens and promote within the community the benefits deriving from adoption of the new technologies, which considerably increase the service quality.
The Municipality of Trento also considers the initiative fit to further promote the Smart City, a project the city has already invested in and that places it the top slots in Italy. With this aim of creating ever more facilities and online services offered by the city administration, according to the principles promoted by the Digital Administration Code, the Municipality proposes developing a series of specific initiatives.
At the same time TIM is continuing the fibre optic deployment plan in the Autonomous Province. In the last year, action has been taken to strengthen the network in 95 municipalities by cabling over 100,000 property units, bringing the total number of homes and offices covered by ultrabroadband to 170,000. The company has also launched a programme to cable nine cities with FTTH technology: in addition to Trento, over the course of this year the plan will be rolled out in Rovereto, Pinzolo, Canazei, Tre Ville, Pergine Valsugana, Riva del Garda and, in 2022, Isera and Volano.
“The digitisation of Trentino is a priority for the Autonomous Province of Trento, which intends to provide citizens and businesses with a stable and super-fast connection,” commented Maurizio Fugatti, President of the Autonomous Province of Trento. “The restart after the COVID crisis also involves infrastructure capable of supporting and providing future generation services. In synergy with the Municipalities of Trentino and Trentino Digital, we are releasing the first services that will place citizens and businesses at the centre of the activities of a modern, efficient and transparent public administration. It is a long and challenging path that will bring Trentino into the future. Today’s agreement between the Autonomous Province, the Municipality of Trento and TIM is another step forward on this path which will provide all the territories of Trentino, from our splendid and industrious valleys to urban centres, with equal access to services and knowledge, completely doing away with the digital divide between the outskirts and the city. It is no coincidence that the switch-off of the copper network, in favour of fibre optic, is starting in Trento. Trentino aims to become the first ‘Digital Smart Land’ of the Alps, a digitally smart, inclusive and sustainable territory.”
“In these months of the pandemic we have realized how essential it is to have an Internet connection at home. Not just any connection, but one that allows members of a family to carry on smart working, distance learning or a video chat with the grandparents all at the same time. For this reason,” pointed out Franco Ianeselli, Mayor of the Municipality of Trento, “we believe that TIM’s initiative gives the residents of Mattarello a truly extraordinary possibility to test, thanks to the ultrabroadband connection, the digital future that we hope is just around the corner and a reality for all citizens of Trento. Once this project has been accomplished, Mattarello will be at the cutting edge in the digital transition and will become one of the most advanced and connected territories nationwide. All this not only enhances the territory of the District, but it best interprets the purposes of the Trento Smart City project, which sought to make citizens IT literate and promote the spread of digital infrastructure which, as we have seen in recent months, are essential as much for the economy, research and school as they are for everyday life.”
“As we start to switch off the copper network we will start to write a new chapter in the history of telecommunications in Italy, confirming our commitment to want to be an integral part of the country’s innovation and digitisation process,” stated Luigi Gubitosi, TIM's CEO. “We are therefore starting in Trento, an Italian municipality of excellence, to transfer customers towards the new super-fast fibre network, on a voluntary basis. We are convinced that with the consolidation of this process, which will gradually involve the whole country, we will speed up the digitisation process for citizens, businesses and the public administration, at the same time promoting development of the digital skills necessary to return to growth both in Italy and internationally.”
Trento, 3 May 2021
