Born from an idea by Duccio Bellantuono, the Proximity Operator today boasts over 3,000 clients across Molise, Abruzzo, and the Tremiti Islands. We recount its story, which began with a Commodore 64.

Great determination and the desire to believe in the potential of one's own territory. These are the two aspects that emerge from the story of Duccio Bellantuono of Progeform: founded as a sole proprietorship, today his telecommunications company can rely on about ten employees and a customer base from Molise, where the company was founded, to Abruzzo, and up to the Tremiti Islands, reaching a total of 3,000 people:

"We did not start immediately as a WISP. In 2006, we began a collaboration with a company in Naples, one of the pioneers of wireless in Italy. The partnership lasted for a year, after which we decided to go independent and cover the first municipalities on our own," Bellantuono tells Assoprovider, who launched his business in Termoli (CB).

One repeater after another

In our interview, Duccio tells us about the struggles of the early years when, between building bridges and repeaters, one after the other, the company began to make a name for itself in a territory, Molise, very complex from an orographic point of view:

"Over time, we have expanded our offerings, focusing on smart cities, with video surveillance projects for public administrations. Today we are working with schools, with PON, and we are also considering other forms of connection. However, we have never wanted to lay fiber. We do not see the advantages, especially in such a competitive market, where it would only lead to a war among the poor, with, in our opinion, no possibility of having a margin from the activity," says Bellantuono.

Assoprovider's discovery at a SICE event

During a SICE event in Lucca, Duccio consolidates the knowledge of Assoprovider and decides to join the large family of Proximity Operators:

"What fascinates me about the association are the services it offers, the consultations on the technical, administrative, and legal side: here you always know who to turn to, all with an investment, the membership fee, that is not significant. I hope the association regains that collaborative spirit among members, especially now when it is even more needed," continues Bellantuono.

Advice to my children

During the interview, it emerges the many obstacles that a small Proximity Operator must face today, among the bureaucratic hurdles, the lack of dialogue with banks, in addition to the challenges of a region like Molise, with few inhabitants per municipality to connect and a complex territorial conformation.

Despite this, Duccio holds onto his job as a Proximity Operator, which he wouldn't change for anything in the world: "I tell my children to aim to wake up in the morning and be happy to do their job. I continue, despite the difficulties, to be passionate every day. I started with a Commodore 64, and every time I'm in front of a screen, I rediscover the emotions of when I was a child," concludes Bellantuono.