Tiscali, ZTE partner for broadband, starting with FTTH network in Sardinia

OCTOBER 11, 2010 -- Independent Italian carrier Tiscali and Chinese communications systems vendor ZTE say they have signed a strategic framework agreement for deployment of ultra-wide broadband in Italy. The first step of the partnership will see deployment of an FTTH network in Sardinia.

The partnership between ZTE and Tiscali will include collaboration from a technology and trade/financial standpoint to evaluate, study, and design next-generation services that Tiscali can provide to its customer base.

In the first phase of the project Tiscali and ZTE will implement an FTTH fiber-optic network in Sardinia. The deployment will leverage ongoing work for the local gas network in the extended Cagliari area, which includes over 50 thousand lines of local loop unbundling coverage.

Renato Soru, Tiscali CEO, said, "Our country cannot afford either the lack of next-generation network infrastructure or delays due to ongoing discussions. That is why we confirm our commitment to reach the ultimate goal of setting up in Italy a broadband network that will place the country among the most advanced in the world. We are working with ZTE with the aim of setting up a network open to all the operators and that we hope it will be part of the wider national network."