The fixed network, the 5G that's already here

With almost unlimited capacity, supporting businesses

Never before have telecommunications been so essential in keeping our country united, with fixed networks supporting all digital communications.

 Rome, 20 March 2020 - In the midst of a health emergency, in an Italy constrained by fully justifiable containment measures imposed by the Government, after a week that saw a sudden increase in internet traffic, the Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni, with the press release of March 18, announces that it will request operators to "Recommend end consumers to primarily use fixed access (including Wi-Fi) at home to avoid overloading the mobile network.

Fixed network internet access (fiber optic, FWA, copper) provided by the hundreds of independent Italian operators, together with the domestic Wi-Fi access points now present in every home, constitute these days the true 5G network that allows Italians to perform telework, students to attend remote lessons, citizens to stay informed and communicate, with excellent and consistent performance.

Bits along the Country, the large traffic flows of the over the top (video call systems, teleworking, etc.), millions of website accesses travel over a multitude of fiber optic networks, managed by many different operators that interconnect with each other, also at the exchange points, and then reach, via fixed access, the homes of "end consumers. 

Many of the difficulties that companies encounter today in organizing telework are unfortunately also due to the unwise decision not to equip themselves with a fixed network access, thinking that "a smartphone is enough". However, as recommended by AGCOM, to ensure service continuity, including Internet access, it is preferable that the smartphone  be connected to the Internet with the Wi-Fi provided by their ISP.

Paradoxical, and a litmus test of a shortsighted policy that has favored mobile networks, because for years it has been repeated that Italy is at the forefront for 5G in the EU, among the top in Europe, the pioneer of the 5G challenge, and yet the good and reliable Italian telephone network, which over time it has also grown thanks to the investments of many operators large and small remind us of the value of fixed access, with infinitely scalable capacity thanks to fiber optics. Moreover, it is worth remembering that the 5G radio network cannot exist without the fixed one.

The set of Italian fixed networks, diversified, is a value for the Country, such as the operators who, with their private investments, have brought ultra-broadband even to disadvantaged areas of the country, and all the hundreds of operators who, by collaborating with each other every day, extending their networks and exchanging traffic, contribute to creating that value that is the Italian internet.

 For years, these operators have been requesting to facilitate their work by reducing the bureaucratic obligations they are subjected to and increasing the range of free frequencies available for public use to establish connections. wireless adequately sized fixed network, eliminating distortions on tariffs for the concession of dedicated radio links, unlocking the voucher for ultra-broadband. It's time to intervene and reconsider and improve the policy followed so far.

At the foundation of the development of all the internet services known and used today is the open, cooperative, and decentralized nature of the network, consisting of a multitude of independent fixed networks. The emergence of Italian digital services can impact the country's competitiveness, and it is therefore necessary to lay the groundwork for this to happen.