The President of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Luis Durnwalder and Chairman of Telecom Italia, Franco Bernabè today signed an agreement to bridge the digital divide across the province.
The agreement will allow Telecom Italia, on payment of a compensation, to use the optic fibre network owned by the Province to increase the availability of ADSL lines at speeds of at least 7Mbits, allowing over 120,000 citizens to access fast internet, covering the entire area within 30 months.
The project will give an ever-increasing number of households, businesses and local authorities access to the new digital broadband technologies using fibre optic networks that have been, or are due to be, laid by the Province of Bolzano over the next two years.
The partnership with the Province of Bolzano involves an investment by Telecom Italia of around €3.6 million to cancel the digital divide through fibre connections and an adjustment of its exchanges.
The President of the Province Luis Durnwalder, after signing the agreement, stated: “To realize an optic fibre network connecting all the towns in Alto Adige is a priority of the Province, which has invested heavily in the operation. This agreement will enable us to take a vital step forward in delivering fast internet to the public.”
"Today's agreement demonstrates that with genuine commitment from the institutions we can aim at eliminating the digital divide, which is the first goal of the European Digital Agenda," remarked Franco Bernabè.
Bolzano, 16 December 2011
