Open Fiber and Telespazio: broadband via satellite

Open Fiber has signed an agreement with Telespazio (a joint venture between Leonardo and Thales) to bring broadband connectivity to the most isolated places in Italy, thanks to satellite technology. The goal of the two companies is to reduce the so-called digital divide through HTS (High Throughput Satellite) services with performance similar to traditional ones.

FTTH, FWA and satellite: broadband for everyone

Open Fiber has so far connected over 11 million homes to the 1 Gbps FTTH (Fiber To The Home) network. The goal of the company led by Elisabetta Ripa is to offer optical fiber to the greatest number of users through the project for the black areas and the BUL (Ultra Wide Band) plan for the white areas.

There are however several geographical areas difficult to reach with traditional technologies. These are the “very white” municipalities, for which FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) connectivity is envisaged. The partnership between Open Fiber and Telespazio will allow for another solution, namely STTH (Satellite To The Home) connectivity.

Under the agreement, Open Fiber will purchase the STTH access service from Telespazio. The signal will be transmitted via satellite link and received by a small antenna installed in the customer's home. In the future it will be possible to use VHTS (Very High Throughput Satellite) satellites to offer superior performance.

Elisabetta Ripa, CEO of Open Fiber, said:

This technological solution allows us to take our network everywhere. Thanks to the already operational agreement with Telespazio, we are expanding the range of our offer even in the most inaccessible places in the country, in addition to the FTTH and FWA fiber coverage plans. The satellite connection will not be a substitute for these technologies, but an alternative opportunity to wire places that would otherwise remain without connectivity. The partnership will allow us to enrich our ultra-broadband network which already reaches over 11 million real estate units. Thanks to a successful business model, we aim to recover the Italian digital gap, the result of decades of scarce investments in the sector, by making the best available technologies available to our customers.

This is Luigi Pasquali's statement. , Coordinator of Leonardo's space activities and Chief Executive Officer of Telespazio:

The satellite technology offered by Telespazio is the complementary solution that was missing in order to achieve the strategic objectives of ultra-broadband coverage of our country. We are proud to be able to make it available to Open Fiber and therefore to all commercial operators, in order to ensure quick and reliable access to digital connectivity services. This initiative is part of a broader Leonardo project for territorial cohesion which aims to reduce the connectivity gap, ensuring full digital citizenship for millions of Italians, in the wake of the long-term vision outlined in the Be Tomorrow - Leonardo 2030 strategic plan .

Source: Open Fiber