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INWIT brings 5G-ready mobile ultrabroadband to the National Etruscan Museum

INWIT’S CEO Giovanni Ferigo: “Indoor coverage is a valuable tool to foster knowledge of the cultural heritage and ensure it is more accessible.”
Director of the ETRU Museum, Valentino Nizzo: “One of our goals is to extend the cultural accessibility of our heritage, also through the use of new technologies, in order to broaden inclusion of the public and break down any cognitive barriers.”

Rome, 17th February 2022 – INWIT, Italy’s largest tower operator, has signed an agreement with the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, Rome, to install multi-operator mobile coverage in the exhibition rooms. This collaboration, facilitated by the Civita Association, will provide the Museum with coverage created using DAS (Distributed Antenna System) technology with very low power, extremely small micro-antennas. This more advanced and faster data reception system has solutions capable of eliminating all visual impact, so the harmony and aesthetics of the rooms is not compromised and the historical and cultural value of the building is preserved.

The National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia is the most important museum in the world for the Etruscan civilisation, and it is among the institutes the Ministry of Culture has endowed with special autonomy and deems to be of “relevant national interest”. Its collections include some of the most famous masterpieces of Italy’s pre-Roman cultures and, in particular, of the Etruscans, along with extraordinary imported objects from the Greek and Near Eastern worlds. The support of advanced technology inside, with 40 micro-antennas in all the spaces and set up for 5G, will ensure a uniform wireless signal in each room of the Museum, an exhibition area covering more than 3000m2, making it possible to conceive of new forms of enhancement and tell the story of the conserved cultural heritage in new ways. This infrastructure will mean institutional activities can be simplified and new ways of integrated use proposed for visitors through the adoption of technological and digital solutions. With respect to its Etruscan “heart” and Renaissance “body”, the Museum in Villa Giulia will continue to welcome new challenges, increasingly making it a place of technologically advanced culture. The project is in line with the guidelines of INWIT’s Sustainability Plan, which envisages contributing to community development, including by launching projects to cover areas with a high social and cultural vocation, such as the National Etruscan Museum.

“Indoor coverage in cultural sites is a valuable tool to foster knowledge of the cultural heritage and ensure it is more accessible. Through the support of technology, the extraordinary history and cultural importance of this site can be more appreciated, with the possibility of being able to use multiple services, enabled thanks to the many opportunities offered by the 5G network,” stated Giovanni Ferigo, CEO of INWIT. “No longer sites of mere historical and cultural conservation, therefore, but more interactive sites, where history and culture can exist and tell their stories more fully, also managing to involve the younger generations to a greater extent.”

“The objectives of this Museum include ensuring accessibility to its cultural heritage, promoting knowledge of it and encouraging its use by different audiences and the scientific community, also through the use of advanced technologies that can help to further expand our already appreciated propensity for inclusion and communication,” stated Valentino Nizzo, Director of the Etruscan Museum. We are delighted that INWIT has found Villa Giulia to be an ideal place to invest in, experimenting with new technological solutions that will allow us to further raise the quality of our visitors’ experience. We strongly believe in the role of private parties supporting the enhancement and promotion of cultural heritage, and opportunities like this are a good demonstration of how businesses can virtuously contribute to the community’s interests.”

“The Civita Association is pleased to have been alongside INWIT in its meeting with one of the most prestigious cultural centres in Italy, the Museum of Villa Giulia, which has demonstrated its wish to expand its audience, opening up to an increasingly broad and young public,” stated Simonetta Giordani, General Secretary of the Civita Association. “Nowadays, addressing all contexts means being able to include the sphere of very young people who are accustomed to embracing immersive languages and digital tools. The new technological solutions proposed by INWIT are the first step in developing innovative testing for the new public. In line with its mission, the Civita Association felt compelled to enthusiastically take on the project to create new synergy between the public and private spheres, and to provide its experience to achieve the goal.”