Italy to test Starlink satellites in remote areas

Milan — Italy is preparing to test the use of satellites produced by Elon Musk’s Starlink to offer internet connection services in some remote areas of the country, a government official was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

The Starlink project was being discussed with some regional administrations, undersecretary to the prime minister’s office Alessio Butti said in an interview with Il Sole 24 Ore daily ahead of a Group of Seven ministerial meeting on technology and digital on Lake Como.

“We’re assessing with Starlink and other players the possibility of complementing existing infrastructure with satellites for the most remote areas,” he said.

“In reference to Starlink in particular, we’re currently speaking to some regions — in the north, centre and south of the country — to test a ‘space based service’ for remote areas or areas without terrestrial infrastructure.”

Butti said the government had been exploring options such as a satellite-based internet connection service to make up for delays accumulated by companies in charge of fibre rollout plans.

The country is pursuing a broader plan, part of the European Union post-pandemic recovery programme, to ensure homes and businesses across Italy have access to fixed-line internet speeds of at least 1 gigabit per second by 2026.

In 2022, state-backed fibre-optic firms Open Fiber and its rival FiberCop, formerly owned by Telecom Italia, secured €3.4bn in EU funds to ensure the whole of Italy can have full-fibre connectivity.

Less than a third of the planned rollout has been completed so far, Italian media reported earlier this month.

“The ‘Italy 1 Giga’ scheme is a key element of our commitments under the post-pandemic recovery plan, and we’re aware of the importance of reaching the target set for 2026,” Butti said.

Starlink already offers satellite internet services in Italy and has more than 50,000 customers in the country, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Reuters