The project stems from a collaboration between the Department, Regione Lombardia and ARIA, as part of the National Ultra-Broadband Strategy. The Department allocated €5 million to the initiative, with a regional contribution of €1.5 million. The trial was entrusted to the consortium formed by Fastweb and Telespazio (Leonardo group), using a hybrid multi-orbit satellite connectivity solution, specifically re-engineered for integration with existing terrestrial telecommunications networks, with the scientific support of the University of Pavia.
The tested architecture uses the satellite as a transport link between local networks and the national terrestrial network. Homes, businesses and public buildings continue to be served through fiber, copper or wireless access. Data traffic is collected at local points and carried over Fastweb's fixed network infrastructure to Telespazio's satellite segment, then to the Milano Caldera aggregation node, from where it is routed to the Internet by the operators. Satellite capacity is thus shared among multiple users, making it possible to connect an entire area.
The tests covered 10 collection points and 39 "virtual village" configurations, using devices able to reproduce the traffic of a connected community. The sixty-day test programme simulated up to 100 concurrent users engaged in activities such as web browsing, streaming, videoconferencing, cloud services and internet telephony.
The preliminary analysis recorded download speeds between 216.4 and 515.8 Mbps and upload speeds between 33.7 and 91.9 Mbps in the configurations tested. Service quality assessments were entirely positive, corresponding to adequate or optimal performance across all uses, including streaming, multimedia, remote working and gaming.
The model leaves the management of the service and the relationship with users in the hands of the telecommunications operators. The satellite component serves a transport function within an architecture designed to be able, in future, to integrate other constellations and other providers.
The next step will be discussions with operators to turn the Lombard experience into a replicable technical and economic model, capable of integrating satellite capacity into existing terrestrial networks and helping to cover mountain areas, small municipalities and the most isolated territories.
Telespazio took part in the trial by developing a proprietary backhauling solution that aggregates multiple satellite links. This offers an effective alternative to terrestrial infrastructure in areas where, because of the terrain, fiber is difficult or uneconomical to deploy.
For over sixty years, Telespazio has been developing and integrating satellite technologies, with the aim of offering its customers increasingly intelligent, resilient communication infrastructures, ready to support the needs of the future. The trial carried out in Lombardy shows that satellite is no longer a niche technology but a strategic element of future networks. By integrating multiple satellite links and making them work together with mobile networks, Telespazio concretely helps reduce the digital divide and ensure quality connectivity everywhere, for the benefit of citizens, businesses and public administrations.