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The project aims to accelerate the digital transformation of Italy’s production and manufacturing heartlands, allowing them to benefit from the latest technologies
At the end of March, Italy’s largest operator TIM announced the launch of its ‘Smart District’ project, with the goal of bringing digital transformation to 140 industrial districts throughout the country. The operator said the project would involve installing the latest fibre, 5G, fixed wireless access (FWA) and satellite infrastructure and providing companies with the latest technology, from the Internet of Things (IoT) to artificial intelligence (AI).
The project was announced as part of TIM’s wider 2021–2023 strategy called ‘Beyond Connectivity’.
Today, TIM has announced that the project has been expanded to the Tuscany, Campania, Trentino, Lombardy, Sardinia, Abruzzo, Umbria, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Emilia Romagna regions. Lombardy will see the greatest number of municipalities affected at around 800, with 90 more in the Tuscany and Emilia Romagna regions, 60 in Campania, and 150 in the remaining regions.
In total, the Smart District project aims to cover more than 2,100 municipalities, thus encompassing around a quarter of Italy’s national production and almost two-thirds of its manufacturing industry.
Beyond bringing the companies the highest quality connectivity, TIM will also provide access to state-of-the-art services from their various business units, including Noovle for cloud and edge computing, Olivetti for the Internet of Things, Telsy for cybersecurity and Sparkle for international services.
Building a ‘smarter’ Italy is a main focus for new prime minister Mario Draghi, who took office earlier this year, who views the digitalisation of industry as a major factor in the country’s economic recovery post-Covid-19. Earlier this month sources suggested that the government is looking to spend €6.7 billion in European recovery funding on improving connectivity infrastructure throughout the country, a roughly 60% increase on the €4.2 billion previously allocated for the task back in January.
How is the telecoms industry helping to facilitate Industry 4.0 in Italy? Find out from the experts at this year’s Connected Italy. Contact Rob Chambers for more information at rob.chambers@totaltele.com
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