Linkem secures loan for 5G upgrade

Italian fixed-wireless operator Linkem has secured an EUR39 million (USD44 million) loan to help fund its migration to 5G technology. Linkem currently uses 3.5GHz spectrum to offer services at up to 30Mbps using TD-LTE and TD-LTE-Advanced equipment under a licence originally awarded in 2008. Corcom reports that the new line of funding has been secured with a group of banks led by Banco Bpm and also including Banca Imi and Ubi Banca. Linkem is thought to serve around 600,000 customers across 13 regions of Italy.