AFT-Linkem announces plans to launch Italian WiMAX network

AFT-Linkem has announced plans to launch Italy’s first commercial WiMAX network in June. The first city to gain a wireless broadband network will be Bari, with the network being launched in partnership with local cable TV operator Telebari. AFT-Linkem acquired licences for use of the 3.5GHz spectrum in February 2008 for EUR34 million (USD54 million), and the company estimates investment required for launching a network in the Bari region will cost EUR50 million. The company intends to follow Bari with networks in all thirteen regions where it was awarded frequencies, including Lazio, Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Sicily, Sardinia, Umbria, Molise, Abruzzo, Campania, Puglia, Calabria and Basilicata. AFT Linkem has been building wireless networks in Italy since 2001 and has a network of Wi Fi hotspots in hotels and airports. It also provides wireless broadband services to over 350 Italian municipalities.