The Italian government’s finance committee, the Comitato interministeriale per la programmazione economica (CIPE), has said it will be releasing the first EUR300 million (USD336 million) funding for the country’s ultra-broadband rollout programme in 2016. The body says that a further EUR450 million will be made available in 2017, EUR500 million in 2018 and 2019, and EUR450 million in 2020, taking the total funding to EUR2.2 billion.
The government monies will go towards deploying high speed infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas, which are home to around 35% of Italy’s population. Further capital will come from the EU, taking public funding to around EUR7 billion, while the private sector is expected to come up with around EUR5 billion as part a wider 20-year broadband development scheme. Under the Italian government’s plan, 85% of all households will have access to a 100Mbps connection by 2020, with the remaining homes being offered a minimum 30Mbps service. Tenders for the first phase of the network rollouts are expected to be launched before the end of the year.