TIM claims it is the first operator in Italy to achieve 1 Gbps download speeds using fibre to the home.

The operator says it is the first in the country to launch 1,000 MB ultrabroadband using FTTH, saying more than 1,000 superfast connections will be available in Fontivegge in Perugia after 200 buildings have been successfully connected to its fibre infrastructure.

Perugia forms just one part of TIM’s future plans for FTTH, and the telco is now planning to expand the roll out by deploying FTTH nationwide, targeting 3.5 million homes by 2018. The programme for what TIM calls “ultrabroadband” will see the operator capable of delivering gigabit connectivity across the country, and will enable customers to better utilise high-definition multimedia content across multiple platforms concurrently.

TIM also hopes to empower businesses with access to professional solutions, including telepresence, video surveillance and cloud computing. Of course, IoT use-cases are also included in the potential benefits, with the operator saying authorities will be able to implement smart city models, including systems for security and sensor networks for environmental telemonitoring.

Along with the FTTH launch in Perugia, TIM also announced its 4G Plus service offering, which it says will double the mobile broadband speeds currently on offer in the region.

“Perugia is one of the very first Italian cities to have a new generation ultrabroadband network with fibre that comes right inside the buildings enabling transmission speeds of up to 1000 MB,” said Head of Open Access at TIM, Carlo Filangieri. “We are the first company to make this type of infrastructure operative in Italy, in the Umbrian capital, making it immediately available to a significant number of citizens, businesses and other operators, and we are proud of this result. With over 4.5 billion euros of investment in ultrabroadband in the three-year period 2016-2018, our commitment to the digitalisation of the country is concrete. The goal is to reach 84% of homes with fibre optics – of which 20% also in FTTH technology – and to have 98% mobile ultrabroadband coverage by the end of 2018.”