Rome Termini becomes the first large Italian station to offer more stable and faster 5G connections to the over 450 thousand people who frequent it every day, thanks to the entry into operation of the distributed micro-antenna system for mobile telephony Das (Distributed Antenna System) by Inwit. The system was created thanks to the agreement between Inwit, one of the main Italian digital infrastructure companies, and Grandi Stazioni Rail, a company of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group controlled by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, which manages the 14 main stations in our country. This infrastructure optimizes the reception of signals from telecommunications operators and strengthens the mobile network connection, facilitating Internet browsing on all devices, with a notable improvement in the signal and the customer experience.
Inside Termini station, customers of TIM, Vodafone (already active) and iliad (active by the end of December) can thus quickly and effectively benefit from the advanced technologies present in their smartphones, tablets and PCs, both in 4G and in 5G. Inwit’s dedicated multi-operator coverage for Das indoor locations is an area of 115,000 m2 inside Termini Station, for a total of 125 micro-antennas and 8 km of optical fibre.
The coverage concerns all the areas with the greatest traffic, such as the large entrance hall, the platforms, the tunnel adjacent to the platforms, the basement leading to the subway with the shopping arcade, the terrace with the shops and restaurants and the entire area covered of the new car park. Thanks to the Inwit system, 5G from the three mobile operators will be available at maximum performance in all areas with high traffic concentrations.
“The realization of the Das project in Rome Termini, a strategic transit hub, also in view of the Jubilee, confirms INWIT’s commitment to the creation of efficient and modern digital and shared infrastructures for mobile connectivity, to support all operators and benefit of the digital transition towards smart cities”, declared Diego Galli, general director of Inwit. The creation of the Das in Termini Station is a further step of Inwit to enable the smart city towards Rome 5G.
This activity, in fact, integrates with the Rome 5G project that the Smart City Rome company, controlled by Inwit, is developing in collaboration with Roma Capitale to support operators for 5G connectivity in all the main focal points of the city (subways, squares and streets). Rome’s Termini station is only the latest of the railway stations managed by Grandi Stazioni Rail that have adopted the Inwit Das system.
The infrastructure is in fact already active – with 5G connection ready for the passive component – in Rome Tiburtina, Naples Centrale, Verona Porta Nuova, Turin Porta Nuova, Venice Mestre and Venice Santa Lucia and being implemented in Bologna Centrale and Florence Santa Maria Novella. “5G is the key to innovating in crucial sectors of the country and simplifying the lives of millions of users. Intensifying the development of advanced technologies such as 5G at Rome Termini station means for iliad bringing innovation even closer to people, with ultra-fast, reliable connections within everyone’s reach”, said Benedetto Levi, CEO of iliad.
“Tim works for the cities of the future, increasingly connected and increasingly effective in processing data and providing answers to administrators and citizens”, explained Elio Schiavo, Chief Enterprise and Innovative Solutions Officer of the Tim Group. And he underlined: “Rome Termini station represents one of the main entry points to the city and it is essential that it is equipped with all the most cutting-edge connectivity services, even more so in view of the Jubilee.
Through the TIM Enterprise smart land model we integrate the best cloud, IoT, 5G and artificial intelligence technologies, making available to local institutions an advanced, sustainable and safe city model, with solutions capable, in real time, of responding to people’s needs. The collaboration with Inwit to enhance connectivity at Rome Termini goes precisely in this direction”.
“Railway stations are no longer simply places of transit, but real hubs of connection and innovation – said Sabrina Casalta, interim CEO of Vodafone Italia – investing in advanced technologies and increasingly high-performance 5G connectivity , means not only improving the experience of travellers, but also transforming these spaces, such as Termini Station, into development engines for smart cities. Vodafone has long and actively collaborated with various market players with the aim of contributing to a mobility’ more sustainable, efficient and connected, capable of responding to the needs of today and the challenges of tomorrow”.