Digital infrastructures: we are lagging behind, but the money will arrive

​What is the level of digital infrastructure in Italy? The EY Digital Infrastructure Index analyzes the level of efficiency and maturity of digital infrastructures in the 107 provinces of our country, an analysis of 30 indicators grouped into 3 different categories: fixed, mobile & Wi-Fi connectivity, IoT technologies. Among the main results, it emerges that there is no particular difference between north and south, the delay we suffer is present throughout Italy and, in general, the situation is very uneven. There is no shortage of excellence such as Genoa, Milan, Rome, Bologna, Turin, Florence, Naples, La Spezia, Ferrara, Parma, Prato, Cagliari, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Monza and Brianza, Trento, and Brescia. It is clear that to relaunch the country's economy, it is necessary to push for digitalization, starting with investments in digital infrastructure. These cannot be limited only to ultra-wideband and 5G, but must also include cloud computing, IoT and sensors.

The pandemic has generated an increase in demand for digital services, given by the increased need for smart working solutions, distance learning, and the creation of services and products that can be used online. As a result, there has been a boom in data traffic that has overloaded digital infrastructures, highlighting how areas/companies/PAs that had invested in digital in the past have adapted better.

Italy has around 11% of the total number of data centers in Europe, second only to England and Germany. From a recent census carried out by the Agency for Digital Italy of the Presidenza del Consiglio, it emerges that 95% of the data centers of the Public Administration, also managed by municipalities and public bodies, have a significant gap compared to the minimum requirements of security, reliability and processing capacity.

​In terms of penetration of UltraBroadBand UBB fixed network connectivity, according to data provided by the European Commission, Italy is positioned above the European average, reaching a coverage of 90%. However, in terms of percentage of households subscribed to fixed network services, we are below the EU average. 

5G is currently available mainly in large cities, and it requires an adequate infrastructure network, as well as a widespread presence of sites for signal transmission. 

The context is however very dynamic: EY notes a growing interest by institutional and financial investors in sectors related to digital transition, with particular reference to fiber optic networks and data centers, which are key infrastructures also for the development of 5G. 15% of the managers interviewed have invested in digital infrastructure and 20% intend to make investments in the next 12 months.

Among the various objectives set by the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), is the digital strategy of consolidating datacenter facilities with cutting-edge quality standards, with a view to cloud transformation and data security requirements, as well as the completion of UBB fiber networks.