(Alliance News) - The telecommunications sector in Italy is hampered by bureaucratic delays that significantly slow down the advancement of networks, with negative impacts on the country's technological and digital progress, as Il Sole 24 Ore explained Monday.

According to a study conducted by I-Com, the main difficulties lie in the long and complex authorization process for the installation of fixed ultra-wideband network infrastructure and the deployment of 5G mobile networks.

Indeed, in many regions, it still takes more than four months to obtain the necessary permits, with serious delays even for authorization for excavations and street lighting.

Despite the government's efforts to simplify processes through decrees and specific regulations, the reality on the ground continues to show great slowness, especially with regard to the convening of the Conferences of Services, which should speed up the handling of requests, Il Sole continues.

The result is a situation in which, despite some improvement, Italy is still well below the European average in terms of VHCN - fixed high-speed lines - and FTTH/FTTP fiber coverage, and this risks compromising competitiveness and adaptation to the challenges of the "Digital Decade" planned for 2030.

The study conducted by I-Com, a think tank that collaborated with Join Group, Ericsson, Fibercop, Inwit and Open Fiber as part of Futur#Lab, unequivocally underscores the need to simplify authorization processes to accelerate the deployment of TLC networks, both fixed and mobile, and improve the country's connectivity, the financial quodian further notes.

Italy has significant digital lags, with VHCN network coverage of 59.3 percent, well below the EU average of 78.8 percent.

Even in fiber networks, the country is below the European average, ranking among the worst in Europe. In particular, FTTP coverage in rural areas is limited to 37.7 percent. Mobile networks, on the other hand, perform better, with coverage among the highest in Europe.

Despite progress, slow permitting for fixed and mobile excavation and infrastructure is a drag.

Although the government has introduced simplification measures, delays persist, especially at the local level, with administrations often unprepared to manage the digital transition.

A critical example is Conferences of Services, key tools for speeding up permitting, which are not convened in a timely manner in many regions, causing further slowdowns.

Between 2022 and 2024, the percentage of unconvened Conferences dropped from 58.8 percent to 41 percent, but critical issues remain, particularly in Campania and Sicily, where failure to convene reaches 66.2 percent and 68.6 percent, respectively.

By Claudia Cavaliere, Alliance News reporter

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