UK-headquartered neutral host provider Boldyn Networks has signed a deal with Roma Capitale, the municipal government covering the Italian capital plus 120 other municipalities around the city of Rome, to deploy 5G and Wi-Fi infrastructure across the Lazio region to support its ‘smart-city’ ambitions. The project includes IoT sensors for environmental across the city and for traffic monitoring at major intersections.
The project, called Roma5G (#Roma5G), will deliver a neutral-host 5G network to all the city’s metro lines, including 83 stations and 68 kilometres of tunnels. It will cover 2,200 small cells, 850 public Wi-Fi access points, 1,800 IoT sensors, and 2,000 5G CCTV cameras. The infrastructure will be open to all 4G/5G frequency bands and all mobile network operators. A statement said the new network will provide “full connectivity in all of Rome’s busiest locations, increase public safety, and enable smart services”.
The work will be completed in time for the Catholic Jubilee 2025 celebrations, when the city is expected to host 32 million visitors, including pilgrims from all over the world to receive a plenary indulgence, and a number of events and activities in Rome and Vatican City. But the broader scope of the project is to focus on safety and environmental sustainability, based on a small cell system that provides reduced energy consumption and low electromagnetic emissions, said Boldyn.
The contract covers management of the infrastructure for 25 years. New equipment will “integrate seamlessly with the aesthetics of the city”, said Boldyn. The company said it will work with “all industry players”, and noted the importance of the project for its own expansion in Europe. Boldyn, which announced the acquisition of private network specialist Edzcom from Spanish tower company Cellnex Telecom last month, has similar shared networks systems in New York, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Hong Kong.
It said the Roma5G project has similarities with its work in New York (to build “the largest public free outdoor Wi-Fi network in the US”) and London (as a “central pillar of the city’s 4G/5G underground connectivity and emergency services”, and also in Sunderland in the UK (where it is developing a “5G advanced wireless infrastructure [to create] the UK’s most advanced smart city”).
Roberto Gualtieri, Mayor of Rome, said: “The collaboration with Boldyn will allow the creation of a next-gen technological network 5G and Wi-Fi to enable the most advanced digital services. Thanks to this project, Rome will become one of the most advanced smart cities in Europe. We will also enable the city to achieve a reduction in electromagnetic emissions, leveraging a neutral technology open to all mobile operators.”
Andrew McGrath, group chief commercial officer at Boldyn Networks, said: “We are honoured to bring Boldyn Network’s neutral host expertise to this important and cutting-edge project, implementing Roma Capitale’s vision for a leading smart city. The… project opens possibilities, working with the mobile operators, to benefit all Rome’s citizens and visitors for years to come.”
