Italy to increase EU broadband funding by 60 percent

Italy aims to spend almost 7 billion euros ($8.33 billion) in European recovery funds on ultra-fast networks, up to a 60 percent increase from a previous goal, as ministers lay out alternatives to a long-delayed single national broadband plan.

The total funds for boosting digitalization amount to some 49 billion euros, up from a previous 46.3 billion euros, including investments in public administration and grants for small and medium-sized companies, one of the sources added on condition of anonymity.

The government of Mario Draghi, which took office in February, is revising a national Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) that would entitle it to some 206 billion euros by 2026 from an EU program to help nations hardest hit by coronavirus.

Rome planned to raise the amount spent on 5G and broadband satellite infrastructure to 6.7 billion euros from 4.2 billion euros earmarked in January by the previous government.

In addition, the government is also devising alternatives to a previous plan to merge the fixed-line access network of former monopoly Telecom Italia (TIM) with those of smaller rival Open Fiber.

TIM has repeatedly said it would not agree to owning less than 50 percent of any combined entity – something that could trigger regulatory issues.

Under this project, TIM would not fold its primary network – connecting switching center to street cabinets – into the venture, preventing the former phone monopoly having a majority stake.

Draghi’s ministers are discussing an alternative plan to use EU funds to roll out fast broadband networks across Italy’s 20 regions using the best technologies available, including Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) systems, the sources said.

Italy ranked fourth to last in the European Union for digital competitiveness in 2019, the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) compiled by the European Commission found.

Open Fiber is jointly controlled by Italy’s biggest utility Enel and state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP). CDP is TIM’s No. 2 shareholder behind France’s Vivendi

Both options under discussion leave the door open to co-investment schemes allowing operators to build their own networks in some areas and have commercial agreements elsewhere.

TIM has repeatedly said it would not agree to owning less than 50 percent of any combined entity – something that could trigger regulatory issues.