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15 November 2024
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Digital infrastructure for smarter hospitals: launch of high-capacity indoor DAS voice and data coverage projects for healthcare in Como and Lecco

Butti: “Local hospitals can now benefit from cutting-edge digital infrastructure”

Galli (INWIT): “Our multi-operator digital systems are playing a key role in advancing also the digitisation of healthcare”

Erba (CO), 15 November – A press conference was held today to unveil the latest high-capacity indoor voice and data coverage (DAS – Distributed Antenna System) projects at hospitals across the provinces of Como and Lecco. The event, which was attended by Alessio Butti, Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers for Technological Innovation, featured contributions from Diego Galli, General Manager of INWIT; Mariella Enoc, Special Representative of the Valduce Hospital in Como; Luca Filippo Maria Stucchi, General Manager of ASST Lariana and Gianluca Peschi, Social and Healthcare Manager of ASST Lecco.

During the press conference, it was highlighted that the deployment of INWIT’s DAS system is a key step in transforming the region’s hospitals into centres of excellence for healthcare innovation and connectivity. With the activation of this system, hospitals will benefit from robust and advanced 4G and 5G mobile network coverage, essential for ensuring fast, reliable communication and fostering a more integrated, connected healthcare environment across various hospital departments, an important milestone in the rollout of the electronic health record.

“With the DAS, we are turning the Como-Lecco area into a benchmark for healthcare innovation and connectivity”, said Undersecretary Alessio Butti. “The hospitals in these two provinces now have cutting-edge infrastructure that will enhance the use of advanced mobile networks, improve patient care and drive innovation in the healthcare sector. This a result to be proud of”.

“With our multi-operator digital infrastructure, we are making a significant contribution to the digitisation of healthcare as well”, commented Diego Galli, General Manager of INWIT. “Hospitals are environments where secure, seamless connectivity is more essential than ever, facilitating both operational communication and personal interactions. In partnership with healthcare providers and telecom operators, INWIT has already delivered dedicated 4G and 5G-ready DAS coverage to over 130 hospitals across Italy”.

“The mission of the Valduce Hospital has always been, as our Foundress once said, ‘to care for the sick, but with a big heart’”, emphasised Mariella Enoc, Special Representative of the Valduce Hospital of Como. Today, however, providing quality patient care also means investing in and equipping ourselves with cutting-edge technological, IT, and digital tools”. “This is why our hospital, like many other healthcare facilities, has taken up and is grateful for the opportunity to join the “DAS Project”, confident that this partnership will enhance the quality of service we provide to patients, citizens and staff alike”.

“Innovations driven by new technologies must also be embraced by hospitals and healthcare facilities. As we see with the growth of telemedicine, hospitals must become increasingly interconnected and digitised”, added Luca Stucchi, General Manager of ASST Lariana. “Let us also not forget the needs of hospitalised patients and their families, and of the employees themselves”.

Marco Trivelli, General Manager of ASST Lecco, commented: “At ASST Lecco, particularly at the Merate facility, we face challenges with limited UMTS signal coverage within the hospital. This project presents a vital opportunity to improve signal strength, ensuring smoother communication both inside and outside the hospital, particularly for patients and their families.”

Details of the DAS projects in the main hospitals:

  • Sant’Anna Hospital: equipped with over 400 DAS remote units, including 5G, and micro-antennas providing coverage of over 75,000 square metres. Vodafone is currently active and TIM is expected to be activated by the end of the year.
  • Erba-Renaldi Hospital: equipped with around 80 DAS remote units and micro-antennas providing coverage of over 12,000 square metres. Vodafone and TIM are scheduled to be activated by the end of the year.
  • Manzoni Hospital: equipped with over 150 DAS remote units and micro-antennas, covering over 81,000 square metres. Operators are scheduled to be activated by the end of the year.
  • Merate Hospital: equipped with approximately 300 DAS remote units and micro-antennas providing coverage of almost 41,000 square metres, with operators expected to be activated by the end of the year.
  • Valduce Hospital, Como: has joined the DAS project, with the contract currently being signed.

With over 210,000 square metres covered, more than 1,200 beds served, and a DAS network expanding nationwide, the Lombard initiative adds to the growing network of over 130 hospitals across Italy that have already developed this technology thanks to INWIT’s DAS digital infrastructure.