Passengers will be able to connect their computers to the internet via UMTS USB modems, or via the new on-board Wi-Fi system, which ensures high quality continuous connections. The on-board WiFi system is also accessible to smart phones, netbooks and indeed any other WiFi-enabled device.

Telecom Italia is working with RFI, the infrastructure arm of the railways, to install next-generation mobile radio communications infrastructure along all 900 km of the high-speed rail track between Turin and Naples, and equipping all Frecciarossa-branded high-speed  trains with support technology systems (mobile radio communications repeater systems and WiFi cabling).

Worth remebering is that in Italy over 20% of the high-speed rail network (93% of the line between Bologna and Florence) runs through tunnels. Therefore, critical issues were associated with shielding electromagnetic waves in train carriages had to be properly addressed, in order to reliably support 3G/UMTS mobile radio network performance at the trains’ top speeds of 300 km/h .

Telecom Italia and Trenitalia, the operating company of the Italian State Railways,  will begin rolling out the system in April.

By the end of the summer, 30% of the high-speed train fleet will be operational; by the end of the year, all high-speed trains trains will be equipped with the new telecom equipment.

The infrastructure is also open to other radio mobile operators who wish to take part in this venture.

The extensive network of transmitters and the mobile radio communications repeater system will strengthen signals on trains and resolve reception problems along the line also for standard mobile voice calls, especially where trains go through tunnels.

Frecciarossa trains will also be equipped with an on-board server (half of the fleet by the end of the year, and the remainder by summer 2011) so that passengers can access a train portal.

The portal will make it possible to create an “on-train community”, and offer users online access to news items from major newspapers, TV programmes, on-demand films, music and videos, weather, traffic information, games, mobile ticketing, taxi reservations, car hire and other value-added services.

Joy is a fully integrated solution that includes a 20/1 Mbps ADSL line (or 10/10 Mpbs for the few lucky ones with a FTTH connection) at home and a free USB modem with 10 hours/month of UMTS mobile traffic included at €30 per month.

With this service Fastweb targets young people and those who do not need a traditional PSTN fixed voice line.

Despite his popularity, Valentino Rossi had no official web site until a couple of months ago. He finally opened his official web site www.valentinorossi.com but, surprisingly, he did not choose Fastweb as its web hosting supplier.

While appearing in Fastweb’s commercials, Valentino Rossi is trying to persuade Italians how good Fastweb’s telecom services are,  although he probably believes they are not good enough to run his own web site…

The strategic partnership expands Telecom Italia Sparkle’s service portfolio with the addition of CDNetworks’ full suite of advanced content delivery solutions for media delivery, content acceleration, and software and other file downloads.

“This partnership enables us to offer a new category of services to our customers, backed by one of the world’s leading content delivery network companies – CDNetworks,” said Arturo Danesi, executive vice president, head of marketing wholesale for Telecom Italia Sparkle. “The combination of CDNetworks’ advanced content delivery technology and Telecom Italia Sparkle’s global network infrastructure and strong operational capabilities will allow us to provide a very compelling solution to our customers.”

In addition to their existing sales force, Telecom Italia Sparkle is deploying a specialized team in Europe dedicated to CDNetworks’ content delivery offering. The partnership enables CDNetworks to dramatically extend its sales and support reach throughout Europe, and reduce operating costs by leveraging Telecom Italia Sparkle’s extensive network infrastructure.

“We are pleased to partner with one of the world’s leading telecom companies to extend our sales reach throughout Europe,” said Robert Gribnau, vice president of EMEA for CDNetworks. “With this partnership, not only will we have some of the brightest telecom professionals offering our extended suite of services to customers and prospects throughout Europe, we will also have access to an outstanding network infrastructure that will help enhance our own services portfolio in the near future.”

Today, Italy is in fact the major International Internet route supporting the IP traffic generated by Africa’s users.
Sparkle, Telecom Italia Group’s International carrier, is a key driving force sustaining the Italian leadership in the region thanks to its network and IP service offer dedicated to the telecommunications players of the Mediterranean area.
“Between 2006 and 2008, international Internet capacity between Africa and Italy has increased nearly 6-fold,” said TeleGeography Research Director Alan Mauldin. “Internet bandwidth between Africa and Italy now exceeds capacity between Africa and the U. K., which was previously the top Internet hub for African Internet service providers.”

As such, Vodafone recently launched the equivalent business version of this triple-play offer targeted to the SOHO market. Available in two flavors, it bundles Adsl access, unlimited free fixed calls and free mobile calls to company’s mobiles for a 39€ per month flat fee.
The hardware side of the offer is the same as the consumer offers: Vodafone Station (Asdl+2/Wifi/UMTS modem router + removable Usb UMTS Internet Key), so that the service can be activated instantly while waiting for the ADSL line.