Federica Laricchia
Research expert covering the global consumer technology industry
Telecoms in Italy - statistics & facts
Talking on the phone, texting, and surfing the internet have become standard activities people perform as part of their everyday life. However, we rarely think of the infrastructure connecting us: the telecoms industry. In Italy, the telecoms industry has been experiencing some fluctuations over the past few years. However, the market recently started showing signs of recovery, to which the "Italia 1 Giga" project will contribute. Planned for 2026, its main goal is the improvement of fixed broadband, 5G, and satellite connectivity throughout the country.
Mobile services are outstripping fixed-line solutions
Mobile has slowly become the mainstream communication method in Italy, replacing fixed-line telephones. For the past twenty years, the country has seen a general downward trend in the number of fixed telephone subscriptions. With the advent of smartphones and their ability to connect to the internet, communications methods have dramatically changed through the development of mobile services. Because of the growing popularity of free messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger — services that also allow users to make voice and video calls — the average revenue per unit of mobile voice services (ARPU) has dropped to around two euro cents per minute.At home or on the go, always connected to the internet
Nowadays, both fixed and mobile lines are mainly used to access the internet. In recent years, the number of broadband and ultra-broadband lines has grown in Italy. Most of these lines were TIM’s, which is by far the leading fixed-line broadband provider, occupying around 50 percent of the market. As regards mobile internet connection, accessing the internet from mobile devices has become quite the norm. Consequently, internet access makes up the lion's share of mobile data service revenue in Italy.Setting the course for faster internet speeds
With the 5G rollout, WindTre, TIM, and Vodafone – the leading SIM card operators among private and business customers – have recently committed to providing the latest technology to clients around the Italian peninsula, investing in several 5G's frequencies. Developing and investing in new telecommunications technologies will remain a key focus of Italian telecoms operators, as they are striving for better and faster fixed and mobile telecoms services in the southern European country.
