Fibre optics, digital government and skills: “structural weaknesses” persist in Italy

Brussels – Digital transformation, telecommunications, and innovation: Italy stands out for its industrial prowess and its ability to transform the national economy, but it is unable to overcome the “persistent structural weaknesses” that continue to characterise the country’s economic system. The European Commission’s assessment is a mixed one, as outlined in the latest edition of the report on the State of the Digital Decade. Thus, alongside genuine and recognised progress, there are setbacks that the country is still unable to make up for. 

Overall, the situation in Italy is noteworthy. The European Commission notes that Italy “has made significant progress in digitalisation, particularly in the roll-out of fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), the digitalisation of public administrations, and the adoption of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and data analytics”. This is likely also due to the National Recovery Plan (NRRP), which has earmarked over €24 billion for digital transformation. 

Furthermore, the country boasts “solid industrial and research foundations,” and in the field of technological development for communications, “it possesses resources in strategic technologies, in particular semiconductors, high-performance computing and quantum technology.” As for digital services, in Italy they are “well developed, including advanced digital identity and digital healthcare.” 

In short, Italy so far seems to have passed with flying colours in its efforts to transform and innovate the country. However, this otherwise positive assessment is “tainted” by the limitations that still remain. “Among the persistent structural weaknesses,” notes the European Commission, “are poor fibre-optic coverage in rural areas, a level of basic digital skills below the EU average, and a shortage of specialists in information and communications technology.” 

So, while fibre-optic networks are well developed in cities, this is not the case in smaller towns; and when a new and innovative service is offered, it is not accessible to everyone, with many users at risk of ending up with something they do not know how to use or get the most out of.

Recommendations for Italy

Hence, this list of recommendations for Italy aimed to overcome the obstacles preventing the country from making a genuine leap in quality. First and foremost, it emphasises the need to “support the roll-out of fibre-optic infrastructure to homes across the country and combine infrastructure support with measures to incentivise the use of the network and the radio spectrum”. 

Secondly, there is a call to promote a new technological culture. This involves “bridging the gap in basic digital skills, stepping up efforts towards upskilling and reskilling, and intensifying measures to increase women’s participation in information technology studies.” In effect, this calls for a reform of schools and universities: in Italy, “the education system is not yet able to meet demand and women remain under-represented in the ICT sectors.” 

To achieve even greater progress, the government, local authorities, and businesses are also urged to work together in order to “strengthen the quantum ecosystem by supporting the development and industrial adoption of quantum hardware and by consolidating links between industry and academia.”