Italian tower company Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane (INWIT) and state-backed wholesale network operator Open Fiber have signed a strategic agreement to cooperate on the rollout of fixed wireless access (FWA) equipment. The joint deployment aims to provide broadband internet access to more than 600 rural municipalities which have not been reached by fibre rollouts.
The agreement provides for the design and construction of up to a maximum of 500 new sites by INWIT, with construction starting in 2022, and the related hosting and infrastructure maintenance services. Open Fiber will provide the sites with FWA equipment and fibre-optic connections.
Open Fiber had previously been awarded a series of government-subsidised tenders to deploy fixed and fixed wireless broadband networks in rural regions across Italy. INWIT’s shareholders include Telecom Italia (TIM) and Vodafone Italy.