with Pnrr funds wired 16,000 km of tracks – Corriere.it

The optical fiber and the 5G network will be widespread on the railway infrastructure throughout the country. Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, represented by the managing director Luigi Ferraris, the undersecretary of state to the Presidency of the Council with responsibility for technological innovation, Alessio Butti, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, and the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso signed the Memorandum of Understanding to encourage the diffusion of new generation networks. As part of the Pnrr, the Department for Digital Transformation of the Prime Minister’s Office uses co-financing, up to a maximum total value of 550 million euros: the aim is to create fiber optic backhauling and a publicly owned 5G mobile radio infrastructure.

The objectives of the agreement

The agreement has a duration of three years and the objectives are multiple:
● exploit the capillarity of the railway network to lay a fiber optic cable for public use which, with an extension of up to 16,000 km, can encourage the development of new generation fixed and mobile communication networks, for the benefit of entire country system, starting from the areas where connectivity problems still exist today;
● disseminate new generation mobile networks along the main communication lines and trans-European corridors, creating a publicly owned 5G multi-operator mobile radio infrastructure, with priority along the high-speed sections, able to ensure continuous coverage, even in the tunnel sections, with 5G services, to improve logistics, safety and passenger services;
● contribute to the creation of the digital platforms necessary for the predictive monitoring of the country’s critical infrastructures, from sensors to the data-centres necessary for the management of data flows.

Added value to the infrastructure

The agreement signed today is an important piece of the Review of the Ultra Broadband strategy that we brought to the first Interministerial Committee for the digital transition – commented the undersecretary Alessio Butti -. With this protocol we strengthen the digitization processes, also along the railway networks. Minister Matteo Salvini added that this will enhance the railway infrastructure, but will also benefit all citizens. Minister Adolfo Urso, on the other hand, declared: Un act that responds to the needs of ultra-fast connectivity. We will also enhance less connected areas, thus making all areas of our country increasingly competitive. Our Gigabit Rail & Road project becomes part of the broader national digital transformation project promoted by the government – reported the CEO Luigi Ferraris -. The capillarity of our railway network will allow us to improve connectivity and thus become an enabling factor for multiple digitization processes.