Rome Smart City 5G launched for all Mobile Operators in the 9 Jubilee Stations of rome’s metro line “a”. First stage of Roma Capitale’s “Roma 5G” project

Gualtieri (Mayor, Roma Capitale): “Rome puts itself at the forefront of the smart city world for a service as fundamental as 5G coverage. Today we are activating this service in the first nine stations of Metro Line A, high-flow and very busy points that from today will be able to enjoy stable, simple and fast connectivity.”

Rome, 1 April 2025 – Rome inaugurates its first 5G-equipped metro stations today. From Vittorio Emanuele to Cipro, passing through Termini, Repubblica, Barberini, Spagna, Flaminio, Lepanto and Ottaviano: thanks to the “Roma 5G” project by Smart City Roma SpA, residents, visitors and pilgrims arriving for the Jubilee can now enjoy fast and reliable 4G and 5G mobile connections from all carriers: Fastweb-Vodafone, Iliad, TIM and WINDTRE, across the 9 Jubilee stations on Metro Line A (spanning 7 km), ensuring an enhanced mobile experience on smartphones, tablets and laptops.

This marks the first phase of a collaboration between Roma Capitale and Smart City Roma, a company owned by INWIT and responsible for leading the Roma 5G project. The operators’ 4G and 5G signal is now available not only in the stations but also throughout the tunnels connecting them, thanks to a multi-operator Distributed Antenna System (DAS) digital infrastructure for indoor locations. This is just the beginning of a larger initiative, with plans to extend 5G coverage using DAS technology to all 75 stations across Metro Lines A, B, B1 and C by 2026. The project will involve a total of 1,170 remote units for 4G and 5G, more than 3,000 antennas, and over 250 km of new fibre optic cables, covering a total of 61 km.

Managing voice and data traffic in the Rome metro is now handled by the new INWIT/Smart City Roma Radio Equipment Room (BTS Hotel) at the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele station, one of the largest and most advanced facilities of its kind in Europe. This Room serves as a central hub for controlling and coordinating the telecommunications equipment needed to support the connectivity of the Fastweb-Vodafone, Iliad, TIM and WINDTRE operators.

The inauguration of the new facility at the Piazza Vittorio station was attended by Roberto Gualtieri, Mayor of Roma Capitale; Pietro Labriola, CEO of TIM; Benedetto Levi, CEO of Iliad; Carlo Melis, Chief Technology Officer of WINDTRE; Lisa Di Feliciantonio, Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer at Fastweb+Vodafone; and Diego Galli, General Manager of INWIT.

The Roma 5G plan also aims to bring 5G connectivity from telecom operators to key areas across the city and activate a wide range of digital services offered by Roma Capitale, including the installation of small cells to meet the needs of the operators, covering 100 public squares, 98 surrounding streets and 7 municipal buildings (including the Campidoglio). The plan also provides for the installation of Wi-Fi in 100 squares, 2,000 cameras and around 1,800 IoT sensors. The goal is to offer the best connectivity and security to 3 million residents and over 15 million tourists, who will increase further in this Jubilee year.

”Rome puts itself at the forefront of the smart city world for a service as fundamental as 5G coverage. Today we are activating this service in the first nine stations of Metro Line A, high-flow and very busy points that from today will be able to enjoy stable, simple and fast connectivity. In June we will complete all of Line A, by December all of Metro B while by June 2026 Line C will also be covered by the service. This same technology is already active in nine squares in Rome, with sensors and high-definition cameras: 36 will be added at the end of June and we will reach 100 squares by December. This is a great leap forward in the use of the most advanced technologies at the service of the community and demonstrates how public-private collaboration can be useful in creating innovative infrastructures that are fundamental for Rome’s growth”, said the Mayor of Roma Capitale, Roberto Gualtieri.

“We are pleased to bring our expertise to support all mobile operators, alongside Roma Capitale, for the efficient implementation of the Roma 5G project. INWIT is thus reaffirming its commitment to driving the city’s transformation into an increasingly connected and intelligent smart city, thanks to digital and shared infrastructure,” said Diego Galli, INWIT General Manager.

“We are actively working on the deployment of Rome’s digital infrastructure because we want to be part of a tangible transformation process that improves the people’s daily lives. Technologies like 5G are essential tools for building cities that are more efficient, sustainable and capable of responding in real time to the needs of both residents and tourists. This is the power of public-private collaboration when the goals are clear“, said TIM CEO Pietro Labriola.

At iliad, we continue to invest in expanding our widespread coverage and bringing innovation to areas where it’s needed most. With this in mind, we’re excited to collaborate with Rome’s local authority and take part in the Roma 5G project, taking a concrete step toward making innovation more accessible to everyone“, said Benedetto Levi, CEO of iliad.

“We are proud to have contributed to this effort to modernise the city. We took on the cost of building the infrastructure and the responsibility of helping design it because we have always been committed to continuously improving the connection service we offer our customers, ensuring they can talk, work and enjoy their free time while on the move, even when travelling underground in the capital“, said Carlo Melis, Chief Technology Officer at WindTre.

“Advanced infrastructure and fast connections also within urban transport networks make our cities more livable, safe and efficient.  This is the goal Fastweb+Vodafone is striving for by delivering high-performance, widespread connectivity and developing services that, through AI integration, enhance urban life, fostering better interaction between the administration and citizens, transforming our cities into true supercities“, said Lisa Di Feliciantonio, Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer at Fastweb+Vodafone.