Two 2 billion bids for the development of 5G in Italy are underway

Two 2 billion bids for the development of 5G in Italy are underway

Two billion euros for two public tenders for the development of the Italy 5G Plan. The Ministry of Technological Innovation and Digital Transition (Midt) presented the two calls that will complement the national strategy for the development of mobile network infrastructures in Italian areas without market investments. This is the first public intervention of this type, at a national level, and is aimed at connecting more than 10 thousand existing mobile radio sites in optical fiber and at creating new ones in over two thousand areas of the country. The public funding will cover 90% of the cost of the works.

The new investment is added to the 3.7 billion already allocated for the 1 giga call for Italy, to the 600 million invested for the connection of schools, hospitals and other health facilities and the 45 million invested to improve grid connections in the smaller islands, envisaged by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan of 2022. Thanks to the new funds, the development of 5G networks will guarantee access to a high-performance connection in across the country, meeting the growing demand for mobile connectivity and cutting-edge mobile services.

The first call focuses on the fiber optic binding of existing mobile sites, with investments equal to 90% of the total cost of operations. While the second encourages the construction of new mobile infrastructures, with a transmission speed of at least 150 megabits per second in the downlink and 30 megabits per second in the uplink. Also in this case, public investment will cover 90% of the costs.

The deadline for the submission of offers has been set for April 27th. The tenders are managed by Infratel Italia, on the basis of the agreement stipulated with the Department for digital transformation, and Invitalia. Operators can present themselves both individually and in association. Bids may be intended for a single lot, some lots or all lots put up for tender, with no award constraints.

The cloud tender Always in the context of public tenders for Italian technological and digital development, Tim, Leonardo, Cassa depositi e prestiti and Sogei presented their final offer for the creation of the National Strategic Pole (Psn) of the cloud. In the event of victory, the four partners will form a joint venture for the management and implementation of the PSN, which will be responsible for providing cloud solutions and services for the public administration.