Italian Fixed and IPTV provider, Fastweb announces the development of its fiber optic network with speeds of up to 200 Mbps to over 50% of the population. The operator said that it will connect 13 million households and businesses in 500 cities by 2020. The new plan builds on the previous four-year plan, which by the end of 2016 will have brought Fastweb fiber optic coverage to 7.5 million households or 30% of the Italian population.
Fastweb will begin the upgrade of 200 Mbps with Arezzo, Viterbo, Riccione, Rimini, Trento, Massa, Pistoia and Caserta, followed by additional launches in subsequent months, to reach 1 million homes by the end of 2016 and 13 million homes by 2020.
The plan takes a dual approach to ensure its quick roll-out: on the one hand the connection of medium-sized cities (up to 100 thousand inhabitants) directly with eVdsl technology providing speeds of up to 200 Mbps; on the other and in parallel, upgrades of Vdsl2 technology (up to 100 Mbps) and eVdsl technology (up to 200 Mbps) in the medium/large cities previously connected to the fiber optic network under the 2014-2016 plan, beginning with Rome and Milan. Network and innovation investment over the duration of the plan will total Euro 2 billion, of which Euro 500 million is dedicated to the network upgrade.
