The Italian government's plan to
expand its high-speed broadband network across Italy is "an
effort that we have rarely seen before," Angelo Cardani, head of
the country's telecommunications watchdog Agcom, said Monday.
At the same time, the chief executive officer of major
player Telecom Italia said his telecommunications company wanted
to see more details before committing.
The government's plan is of "great importance," but
implementing measures, including rules of participation, time
frames and issues of importance to financial market, are not yet
available, said Marco Patuano.
He was speaking at the presentation of the Report of the
Supervisory Board on equal access to Telecom network.
Antonello Giacomelli, cabinet undersecretary with the
telecoms brief, said the "ambitious" broadband plan "is based on
collaboration between public and private" which he said was
essential to its success.
"For the first time there is a national plan...that assumes
an overall vision," he added.
"Now we need to do everything to implement it".
Regulator Cardani added that it would be helpful if the
"litigious" telecoms companies were able to work together on
implementing a national plan.
"Less bickering from the market would promote our plans,"
he said.
Last week, Premier Matteo Renzi's government approved the
plan aimed at bringing the country's high-speed broadband
network in line with European Union targets.
"We are creating a plan to give our country the digital
infrastructure, the digital highway, like any other European
country," Industry Minister Federica Guidi told reporters.
Pressure has been building on Italy to make vast and
long-delayed improvements to its telecommunications
infrastructure and digital sector.
That has been cited as a factor in the economy's struggles
to modernize, innovate and shake off years of stagnant.
A key change would involve fibre-optic networks to replace
the older copper wire Internet infrastructure.
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