In some areas of the country, before the 2015 ultra-broadband plan, Infratel was entrusted with the task of directly building the infrastructure and then selling the right of use to telecommunications operators. This was known as a ‘direct model’. According to this model, we have built about 90% of the infrastructure envisaged in the plan and we are, therefore, in the process of completion. This is a value model that allows the country to have a public network that operates on a wholesale basis with telecommunications operators.

The Plan

The National Direct Intervention Plan is a plan that can be articulated in a series of “Implementation Interventions” that can be carried out as public financial coverage becomes available. Each “Implementation Intervention” defines the areas covered by the specific Intervention, the financial resources, the type of financing and its specific aspects, the investment model chosen and the time schedule of activities.

The Ultra-Broadband Direct Intervention Plan provides for the construction and provision to telecommunications operators of the infrastructures enabling the offer of services based on connectivity of at least 30 Mbps in the White Areas of the national territory.

To achieve the above, at least the portion of the network defined as primary, i.e. the network that makes the optical fibre available at a distance of 400 metres or less from real estate units (REU), must be built.

In each municipality covered by the intervention, all public administration (central and local) offices, public health centres and school units must be connected in FTTH mode (with fibre termination device inside the building).

Reference network architecture

The reference network architecture is the one known by the acronym FTTx, and consists in connecting each real estate unit for residential and office use to a local central (access node), and from this to the entire network, via optical fibre. The same type of connection is provided for mobile radio base stations and WiFi and WiMAX “hot spots” in the area.

The reference architecture divides the network into three main blocks:

• Primary network is the portion of the network with a typical ring topology that connects the optical main distribution frame inside the main node to pivot points for:

1. secondary optical nodes that represent the fibre’s pinning point towards the agglomerations of buildings to be covered;
2. copper network distribution cabinets;
3. base stations of radio systems (mobile or fixed).

• Secondary network: this is the portion of the network that starts from the secondary optical nodes located on the primary network and reaches the distribution equipment (FTTC case) or the buildings (FTTB case) or the single real estate units (FTTH case); the topology is tree shaped. In case of FTTB and FTTH access, an Optical Terminating Box (OTB) must be used. In the case of radio access, the secondary network is downstream of the base station to the end user and also includes the customer connection (vertical network).

• Customer connection (vertical network): is the portion of the network inside the building that connects the individual customer.

Details of interventions

The “Programme” is addressed exclusively to White Areas, in accordance with the EU guidelines and in line with the results of the Public Consultation for Telecommunication Operators for the Ultra-Broadband on the National Territory.