Italy launches EUR 400 million plan to bring gigabit fibre to schools

Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) has announced a new EUR 400 million plan to boost takeup of high-speed fibre services at schools throughout the country. The aim is to equip 81.4 percent of Italy’s schools, equivalent to a total of 32,213 buildings, with fibre-optic equipment that guarantees download speeds of at least 100Mbps and up to 1Gbps within the next two years. In addition to the structural costs, the funds made available also cover connectivity costs for up to 5 years, said the ministry.

Under the Digital School Plan, state-owned infrastructure agency Infratel Italia will be entrusted with managing the rollout, in collaboration with regional companies specialised in digital infrastructure, and with the participation of Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research (MIUR). The first tenders are set to be launched next month with a view to activating the first connections as early as September.

There are also plans to make available EUR 500 vouchers to help up to 2.2 million families and 450,000 businesses throughout Italy set up superfast broadband connections and acquire PCs and tablets.

―Telecompaper