INWIT enables 5G across the entire M4 metro in Milan

The first metro line in Italy and among the first in Europe entirely covered by 5G technology

The Lombardy capital takes a new step towards the future of “smart cities”: thanks to innovative DAS infrastructure (Distributed Antenna System) multi-operator made by INWIT, the main digital infrastructure Italian company, the 4G and 5G signal is now available on the entire M4 metro line, including the new San Babila-San Cristoforo route.

5G coverage, available for iliadTIMVodafone and Wind3 customers, it now extends across all 15km of the M4 line, including the 21 stations and all the tunnels of the new metro. This cutting-edge infrastructure is made up of 400 remote unit, over 1.100 antennas and more than 25 thousand meters of optical fibre, ensuring minimal visual and environmental impact. Thanks to these latest generation technologies, passengers can take advantage about speed and efficiency mobile conncetions, improving the user experience of smartphones, tablets and PCs, and enabling new IoT solutions.

Il progetto The M4 project is the result of collaboration within iliad, TIM, Vodafone, Wind3 and INWIT, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the infrastructure sharing model to accelerate the development of telecommunications networks, bringing concrete benefits to citizens and territories.

With this new milestone, INWIT continues its mission to enable connectivity for mobile operators, after having already invested in the metros of Brescia, Catania and Naples. INWIT’s digital and shared infrastructures currently cover over 40 kilometres and almost 1,000 kilometers of road and motorway tunnels throughout Italy.

Statements by the protagonists

Diego Galli, General Director of INWIT, declared:

The M4 project confirms INWIT’s commitment to the creation of efficient and modern digital infrastructures for mobile connectivity, also in the important transport vertical, to support all operators and benefit the digital transition towards smart cities”.

Benedetto Levi, CEO of iliad, said:

For iliad, being close to customers means committing to providing quality services and latest generation infrastructures. The extension of network coverage in the metros is a clear signal of our commitment in this direction, with the aim of enabling the digital transition and offering a continuous and effective service to all customers“.

Pietro Labriola, CEO of TIM, explained:

“The M4 project represents excellence in Italy and Europe not only from an infrastructural point of view but also for innovation. The mobile network system created with other operators will guarantee passengers a high-quality service thanks to stable and high-performance connections. This is a virtuous example and a model to be taken as a reference for creating increasingly intelligent, digitalized and livable cities and offering these services is our mission”.

Aldo Bisio, Ceo of Vodafone Italy, declared:

“The 5G coverage of the M4 line in Milan represents a concrete example of how technology can encourage the creation of services for citizens and modernize our transport network. This is how we respond to the growing needs of connected and intelligent urban mobility pushed by the Municipality of Milan. Vodafone actively contributes, by collaborating with the various market players, to the creation of innovative solutions capable of responding effectively to the construction of smart cities”.

Gianluca Corti, Ceo of WINDTRE, said:

“We at WindTre aim to simplify people’s lives and this project aims to improve the quality of life of citizens. Modern life is increasingly intertwined between work, study and leisure and it is essential that connections support this flexibility on the move, particularly in a dynamic city like Milan”.

Alessandro Lamberti, President of Milano city’s M4, commented:

A further innovative step that allows us to offer Metro 4 passengers, who arrive in Milan for work or pleasure, an unparalleled travel experience. This initiative represents testimony to the incredible efforts we make every day to contribute to the development of the city of Milan”.