Ensuring widespread, stable and high-performance connectivity beyond major urban centres, along roads and motorways, across viaducts and through tunnels, is a crucial challenge in enabling new Smart Mobility services. With a network of around 26,000 towers and more than 850 Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) across the country, INWIT is a key infrastructure enabler of the digital transformation of Italy’s road network.
A Smart Road is a technologically advanced road that enables real-time, two-way communication between road users and those managing the network. This involves integrating Wi-Fi hotspots and high-performance mobile coverage along routes and at rest areas, alongside advanced systems that continuously monitor traffic flows and weather conditions.
Travellers receive timely updates and alerts, while also being able to communicate with road operators to report incidents or issues along their route, creating a continuous flow of information.
The 5G-BEAM project on the Brenner Motorway
The most advanced example of this model is the 5G-BEAM project along the Brenner Motorway (A22). Co-funded by the European Union under the Connecting Europe Facility and managed by the HaDEA agency, the project aims to deliver continuous 5G coverage across more than 400 kilometres of the Brenner Corridor, from Modena to the Austrian-German border.
INWIT is an industrial partner in the initiative and is working on the physical infrastructure on the Italian side to enable a 5G Standalone network with Edge Computing.
The work includes upgrading equipment on existing towers to 5G and building four new towers, alongside the installation of dedicated DAS systems and repeaters inside nine motorway tunnels in Trentino-Alto Adige. These systems are designed to ensure signal continuity where the terrain limits radio signal propagation.
The plan also includes strengthening 5G coverage in high-traffic areas, such as toll plazas and service areas, preparing the A22 for future connected mobility and automated driving services.
Digital infrastructure supporting mobility
Beyond providing connectivity, INWIT’s digital infrastructure also serves as a platform for the structural and environmental monitoring of bridges, viaducts and tunnels, including in remote areas.
Through the installation of IoT sensors, critical parameters can be monitored in real time, including tilt, millimetre-scale movements, structural accelerations in three dimensions, stress on materials, air and structural temperatures, road surface conditions, wind intensity and environmental events such as smoke, fires or flooding.
These data feed into the Digital Twin, a continuously updated digital representation of the physical infrastructure, enabling infrastructure operators to implement predictive maintenance models, optimise operating costs and improve overall safety levels.
The results of this commitment are already visible on a large scale across Italy, where INWIT has enabled connectivity across more than 1,000 kilometres of road and motorway tunnels using around 700 dedicated devices. In addition, more than 20 covered car parks are equipped with DAS technology for indoor connectivity.
From major motorway routes to tunnels, INWIT’s digital infrastructure is what makes connectivity possible.
