News
Italian incumbent’s high-speed mobile service goes live in Rome, Palermo, Sanremo; more major cities to follow in coming weeks.
TIM this week commercially launched 4.5G services, upgrading the peak speed of its network in Rome, Palermo and Sanremo to 500 Mbps.
The Italian incumbent is aggregating frequencies in the 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2.6 GHz bands, as well as L-band 1500-MHz spectrum. It is also using the latest modulation techniques and antenna systems to improve spectral efficiency.
TIM currently offers one handset that can access its 4.5G network, the Sony Xperia XZ, which is equipped with the requisite Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. The smartphone costs €700 up front, or €99 up front plus 30 monthly instalments of €15.
Customers with a compatible device will be able to connect to TIM’s 4.5G network at no extra cost.
Stefano Azzi, head of consumer at TIM, pitched the upgraded network squarely at content-hungry customers.
"Thanks to the innovation of our services the user experience will be even more engaging and the solutions and applications proposed will allow customers to access TIMvision and TIMmusic, in addition to all other premium contents," he said.
Following Rome, Palermo and Sanremo, TIM plans to switch on its 4.5G network in Naples, Milan and Turin, where the company has already conducted live field tests that exceeded 500 Mbps on the downlink.
