Ultra-broadband, Butti: “We need to hurry”
The spin-off of the Tim network does not take off and the undersecretary for innovation Alessio Butti pushes the urgency of a decision. “The hope is that it will be done quickly. The government has reiterated several times that the issue of the national grid is not of exclusive interest to an industrial sector but belongs to the Italian system. Businesses are asking for a national network, for connectivity and for progress towards a future that is also of a technological nature”.
For Tim, even if the deadline for the relaunch of the Cdp-Macquarie and Kkr offers is close, April 18, a solution on the reorganization of the company seems far away because Vivendi, the reference shareholder with 23.9%, would be dissatisfied with the price that, even with the raises, will be offered for the spin-off of the network. “The position of the French Vivendi on the sale of the Tim network doesn’t worry us at all – underlined Butti-. It is a matter between private individuals and it is appropriate that they clarify themselves. We can only hope they do it quickly. We will then make evaluations.”
Sharable position, but if the French don’t give up the network, the single network project with Open Fiber it is destined to fail with all the consequences of the case. Also because Open Fiber, like Tim, is not sailing in calm waters from a financial point of view.
All errors in the implementation of the fiber network
Butti is certainly not a fan of Open Fiber. “Must review the ultra-broadband strategy – he said – in the previous legislatures no one had a vision or thought of setting up a serious industrial policy”. The lack of an industrial plan, according to Butti, derives from the fact that “the great managers of the past miscalculated to get the FTTH into our homes. And the calls for tenders were also embarrassingly wrong with the result of having a very poor situation on fixed-line connectivity, to put it mildly”.
Moreover, the undersecretary also says he is “terrified” by the development of gray areas, within the competence of the Pnrr, because “we already have shortcomings in the white areas”. In particular, the white area plan under concession to Open Fiber, “is not even half completed. The rhythm of the tests is very slow”.
Butti also added that there are working groups that “have already been in the field for 5 and a half months, from the day the government took office, on the revision of the plan on broadband. We have a quite challenging roadmap but solutions to certain problems have already been put in place to try to mitigate what could become serious problems”.
In order to raise the electromagnetic limits, a shared solution must be found
As for the raising of the electromagnetic limits of the mobile network, according to Butti, “a shared solution must be found with the territories, because not sharing it would mean reviving the ‘No’ committees which would slow down development. This issue has been discussed for 15 years now. There is a 2001 law which delegates the possibility of raising the limits to a Dpcm. The government’s job is to try to get everyone to agree. It is evident that an action of this kind can be carried out if there is agreement and information on the territory”.