Telecommunications market of ItalyPhone Cards, Calling Cards |
| The Italian broadband landscape differs from other major European countries because of the absence of cable infrastructure. The country’s dependence on DSL with no competitive cable alternative was resulted in the one of Europe’s lowest broadband penetration rates. Yet the high degree of LLU has promoted considerable competition within the DSL sector, and Italy reported the second largest net increase in broadband lines in the EU in 2004 and 2005. Italy’s cities are also densely populated, with a high proportion of people living in apartment blocks, and this has supported the growth of FttH services, which are among the best-established in Europe. This report from Paul Budde presents statistics on each broadband technology in Italy in 2005, as well as information on the burgeoning wireless broadband/WiFi markets. |
| By early 2005 broadband growth in Italy was among the fastest in Europe. There are extensive DSL and cable networks, and increasing emphasis on greater access speed, which will be the foundation for the country’s take up of triple play offerings in 2006 and 2007. Fibre is also extensive in densely populated cities, and has provided for some of Europe’s most mature IPTV offerings. The Italian TV market is characterised by a high number of Free-to-Air (FTA) TV channels, mostly provided by RAI, the national public broadcaster, and Mediaset, the private broadcaster. There are some 600 other regional broadcasters with content available. Satellite TV is the main pay TV platform, This report from Paul Budde analyses Italy’s broadband infrastructure and triple play offerings in 2005 and early 2006, and provides an overview of the country’s FTA, digital terrestrial TV, cable and satellite pay TV markets. |
| Italy has one of Europe’s largest telecom markets, worth some €42 billion in 2004. Mobile phone penetration is far above the EU average. Internet penetration is also high, while the country has the fourth largest broadband subscriber base in Europe. DSL dominates broadband access, since there is no significant cable infrastructure, but growing competition is offered by some of the continent’s most comprehensive fibre networks. This report analyses the key aspects of the Italian telecom market in 2005 and 2006. Comprehensive data is provided on the country, the fixed network services sector, and the Internet, mobile, and digital broadcasting sectors. The report also reviews the key regulatory issues, noting the status of interconnection, LLU, number portability and carrier preselection, and profiles the major operators and their strategies for 2006. |
| Italy has one of the largest mobile phone markets in Europe with one of the highest penetration rates. Much of the growth has been fuelled by prepaid cards, while multiple-SIM ownership is also popular. Italy is also home to two of the largest mobile operators in Europe – Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) and Vodafone Italy (formerly Omnitel). Four operators provide 3G services to a crowded market. Mobile TV services have been launched by TIM and 3 Italia in October 2005. This report provides statistics and an analytic overview of Italy’s mobile market in 2005 and early 2006. It reviews the key regulatory issues and the growth of mobile data services such as SMS, and profiles the major mobile providers and the likely impact of emerging technologies for 2006 and beyond. |
| Italy Phone Cards |