Italian broadband plan hits delays

An Italian government decree on the proposed development of a national high speed internet network could be delayed until September. Local newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore reports that a number of measures outlined in the government’s Strategy for Italian Broadband and Digital Growth 2014-20 are causing concern among operators, at the Ministry of Economy, state holding company Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), which has an indirect stake in fibre network provider Metroweb, and at the European Commission (EC). One sticking point is reportedly the plan to offer vouchers to users migrating to ultra-fast fibre connections offering at least 100Mbps bandwidth in each direction. The government has said it will pump up to EUR6 billion (USD6.7 million) into the deployment of fibre infrastructure – possibly via Metroweb – if the investment will be matched by domestic telcos including Telecom Italia, Vodafone, Wind and FastWeb.