Union of forces between Ultrawide Band Plan, Italy 1Giga and Italy 5G: Uncem Piemonte calls together to overcome the Digital Divide
The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) is a fundamental resource for Italy on its journey towards digitalisation. In the panorama of initiatives that intertwine to bring connectivity and advanced services, “the Ultra-Broadband Plan for the so-called “white areas,” the Italy 1Giga Plan and the Italy 5G Plan must act in synergy”.
This is the cry of Roberto ColomberoPresident of Uncem Piemonte, which emerged clearly in the recent webinar with the Municipalities and their Unions, organized by the Piedmont Region in collaboration with Open Fiber, Infratel and TIM.
The discussion outlined the situation of municipalities still without optical fibre, those waiting for work, and those needing immediate interventions. Colombero underlined the importance of reporting by these bodies, indicating what isn’t working, what is needed and what they expect. In collaboration with the Region, Infratel and Open Fiber, Uncem is committed to solving the reported problems.
Special thanks were addressed to Alessandro Musumeci of the Department for Digital Transformation of the Presidency of the Council. Colombero expressed gratitude for the constant attention to the demands of the national Uncem, underlining the importance of a link that proves useful and prospective, making the territories “smart” and “green.”
The fight against the digital divide is at the center of Uncem’s agenda. Colombero emphasized the need for an open dialogue between the three plans, all of which have significant resources. While the Municipalities have tens of millions of PNRR voucher funds for digitalisation, Colombero urged prudent and targeted spending. He invited us to consider artificial intelligence in the territories, collaborating, for example, with the CSI Piedmont to bring real 5G to the valleys and offer advanced services.
The appeal addressed to the Municipalities was clear: avoid denials to 5G facilities. Colombero invited people to say “yes” to this technology and to believe convincingly in its potential to overcome the digital divide.
5G, he explained, brings ultra-broadband, complementing Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and existing wireless networks. He praised the entrepreneurs who created such networks without state aid, but now he hoped for a step forward, uniting businesses and public administration with state funds.
Colombero underlined the urgency of immediate responses for citizens, who are not only interested in the plan, but want concrete solutions for connectivity and telephone signal. He highlighted the need for services with lower costs than the current charges for Municipalities and underlined that Uncem has been acting for twenty years to reduce the digital divide, considering the current moment as historic and decisive. Finally, he assured that Uncem will play his part, “placing concreteness and vision at the center of the mission“.