Fastweb selects Qualcomm for 5G fixed wireless access commercial launch in Italy

SAN DIEGO - Fastweb announced today that its 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) devices will use the Snapdragon X55 Modem-RF System – building on the years-long collaboration between Fastweb and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to bring the world-leading performance and capacity of 5G mmWave to users in Italy.

Fastweb is the one of the first operators in Europe to launch commercial 5G Fixed Wireless Access connections using a 5G mmWave network. Taking advantage of the flexibility of 5G Fixed Wireless Access technology combined with the performance, capacity and cost-effectiveness of 5G mmWave, Fastweb will provide broadband connections to 12 million homes (i.e 45% of the population of Italy) with speeds of up to 1 Gbps within 2024 with the aim to close the digital divide in disadvantaged areas of the country.

Households will be connected via 5G CPE device mounted on the roof or side of the house that connects wirelessly to a nearby cell tower and provides ultra-fast broadband service in-home.

After two years of intense preparation working with Qualcomm Technologies to perform network testing, Fastweb is now ready to commercially launch its 5G FWA service over mmWave in 50 cities in Italy and growing to 500 in 2021.

“We are very satisfied with the collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies which has allowed us to find the best technological solution to offer our service,” said Andrea Lasagna, chief technology officer, Fastweb. “With the launch of our Ultra FWA connections we bring connectivity up to 1 Giga even in those areas that until now were not covered by ultrabroadband connections.”

“Today marks an exciting advancement for the 5G ecosystem across Europe, as Fixed Wireless Access devices powered by the Snapdragon Modem-RF Systems will harness the potential of mmWave for Italy,” said Enrico Salvatori, senior vice president and president, Europe/MEA, QUALCOMM Europe, Inc. “Qualcomm Technologies and industry leaders are at the heart of the 5G deployments being rolled out across Europe and this is the first 5G commercial mmWave deployment in the region. This new standard of connectivity will enable exciting new user experiences that will fundamentally enrich how we live our lives.”