The Three Italies of the Ultra Broad Band Deployment Plan

Italy is only 27th among the 28 EU countries regarding ultra-broadband network development, a ranking that means significant delay and keeps citizens from having high speed connections and using new services. These networks currently only reach 36% of Italian households, IEFE Director Michele Polo explains in a video for the #EnergyLink series.

To bridge the gap, working in collaboration with Brussels, the government has developed a plan that aims to provide coverage for the country by 2018. Three areas have been identified, according to the present level of deployment and the state of demand: those that are more developed, where only private intervention will be required; those with intermediate network deployment, where incentives will be provided; and the "market failure" areas, those that are underdeveloped, where direct public intervention will be needed.

The pros of the €2.2bn plan are the technological neutrality, the promotion of public-private cooperation, and the involvement of EU authorities in order to design it according to the State aid discipline.