Telecom Italia (TIM), Fastweb and Huawei have activated a 5G antenna in Matera, using the 3.7GHz-3.8GHz band. The deployment has taken place under the banner of the ‘BariMatera5G’ project, which aims to deliver 5G connectivity to 75% of Bari and Matera by end-2018. During the laboratory testing phase in January the 5G system delivered downlink transmission speeds of 3Gbps, the companies noted. 5G investment in the two aforementioned cities is expected to reach EUR60 million (USD73.9 million) over the next four years.
Alongside the TIM-Fastweb-Huawei tie-up, the Ministry of Economic Development (Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico, MISE) has also granted permission for other Italian operators to test 5G systems, notably Vodafone in Milan and a venture involving Open Fiber and Wind-Tre covering Prato and L’Aquila.