enel S.p.A. of Italy expects to have a 12,000-km fiber-optic network by mid-1999. According to

enel S.p.A. of Italy expects to have a 12,000-km fiber-optic network by mid-1999. According to Franco Tato, enel S.p.A.`s managing director, the network will provide an alternative to Telecom Italia S.p.A. in fixed telephony. The company currently has a 2000-km fiber-optic network. The planned network would remain the property of the power group but be rented out at market prices to a telecommunications joint venture that enel plans to set up with Deutsche Telekom AG.

Japan`s Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications plans to push up the start date in its planning process for a subscriber-based fiber-optic network due to private-sector requests. The original plan called for 20% of the nation to be hooked up by 2000, 60% by 2005, and 100% by 2010. However, requests indicated a wish for the initial goal to exceed 20% by 2000, and for basic infrastructure to be put in place sooner.