How can we find out about the technology that passes through the area where a home is located and at what speed is it possible to navigate?
Technological evolution, important investments in response to the objectives set by the Digital Agenda and growing demand for high-speed connections have increased the diffusion of optical fibre, which in Italy is becoming increasingly widespread, reaching 60% of Italian families in 2023, from 45 % detected in 2019.
But how can we find out about the technology that passes through the area where a home is located and at what speed is it possible to navigate? There are now many online tools that verify fiber optic coverage and the status of the broadband and ultra-broadband network in the municipality of residence.
Using Segugio.itfor example, you will be able to obtain the percentage of coverage in the requested municipality divided by type of technology, then after having located the area of the home, access the list of the best home fiber offers on the market in that specific area.
What is the difference between FTTH, FTTC and FWA
The speed of the internet connection at home depends on the technology available. There FTTH (Fiber to the Home) it is the most performing one because pure fiber that connects the exchange to the home, capable of transferring large quantities of data at very high speed, fino a 2,5 Gigabit/s in download.
In this case, the fiber optic cable passes directly from the telephone line conduits and arrives directly at the router.
Technology works differently FTTC (Fiber to the Cabinet), where the optical fiber reaches the street cabinet and continues in copper up to the user’s home, reaching the maximum speed of 200 or 300 megabits.
In smaller towns and in the most isolated areas, where fiber cannot reach due to low population density or the shape of the territory, fiber optics is increasingly spreading. FWA technology (Fixed Wireless Access) o Fisso Wireless, mixed fiber radio which does not use a fixed line, but connects the optical fiber to a repeater using the 4G network: the signal reaches homes through an antenna that connects to the operator’s repeater wirelessly and a modem installed inside the home.
Currently, FWA connections are used with capacities even higher than 100 Mbps in download.
Where are we at with fiber optics in Italy?
Open Fiber, the main Italian operator for ultra-broadband which is responsible for installing fiber on Italian territory and ensuring the achievement of the objectives established by the European Digital Agenda, constantly updates the progress of its coverage plan.
With 120,000 kilometers of infrastructure built and 8 billion in investments, 6 years of work have connected 14.5 million homes, businesses and public administration offices.
The objective, as stated on the company website, is “to guarantee a connection with performance of up to 10 Gigabits per second in upload and download at a national level, through the creation of the FTTH (Fiber To The Home) fiber optic network infrastructure ), or alternatively, FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) technology, in order to reach even the most remote areas”.
In the so-called White Areasareas with lower population density, over 74,500 kilometers of ultra-fast network have been laid so far and created over 3,169 base radio stations for the diffusion of FWA (Fixed wireless access) technology. In rural areas, coverage went from 0% in 2015 to 32.9% in September 2022, thus approaching the European average of 41.3%.
Meanwhile Audiweb has released data on internet usage in Italian homes, making it known that last September the total digital audience recorded 43.9 million unique users, approximately 75% of the population aged 2 years and older. Italians connected mainly via mobile (75%), with an average browsing time of 2 hours and 36 minutes.