As the 5G arms race continues in earnest around the world, an unlikely contender is poised to boast the title of world’s first nationwide 5G network. Telecom Italia has launched the “operational phase” that the company says will lead to nationwide 5G coverage in the microstate of San Marino, a 24-square-mile microstate totally surrounded by Italy.
Telecom Italia plans to start by deploying 4×4 MIMO, multi-channel carrier aggregation, advanced modulation and a cloud-based architecture. That will be complemented by a fiber-fed small cell deployment across the country. According to Telecom Italia, “The particular geographical shape of this territory, and the distribution of its industries, favor the use and development of innovative technologies.”
Using the updated infrastructure, the plan is to essentially use the entire country as a testbed for the emerging 5G New Radio (NR) specification. The “San Marino 5G” project encompasses consumer and enterprise connectivity and is working to increase network capacity 10x as compared to what’s available with LTE, as well as support massive internet of things.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Giovanni Ferigo, head of technology for Telecom Italia Mobile, said the network would “for sure” be the first in Europe, and would include focuses on health care, robotics and public transport. “For 5G, our intention is a European leadership in standardization,” he said in the interview.
San Marino Secretary of State Andrea Zafferani said: “We are extremely satisfied and happy that TIM has chosen the Republic of San Marino as the first country in the world to test an innovative technology like 5G linked to the mobile network. A sharing of intent and strategic choices that over the years has led to the creation of major infrastructure, as well as to the added value provided by the presence of San Marino-registered companies working in the area which can only strengthen and enhance the presence of the TIM Group in the Republic. The services and applications that will result from the introduction of 5G can only bring benefit, in the immediate future, to the manufacturing world and the community.”
