Vodafone Italy said Milan now ranks among Europe's fastest cities in terms of data rates, after deploying a 300 Mbps fibre network in the city.
The operator deployed fibre to the home (FTTH) in Milan as part of a €3.6 billion ($4.4 billion) investment in fixed and ultra wide mobile broadband in Italy. Vodafone Italy said the data rates available in Milan make it the fastest city in the country, and one of the frontrunners in fibre rollouts throughout Europe in terms of speed.
Vodafone Italy has also deployed FTTH in Bologna, the country's second largest city, offering data rates of up to 300 Mbps. The operator noted fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) has also been rolled out in eight cities to date, offering rates of up to 100 Mbps. Construction of additional FTTC networks is ongoing in 40 cities, it added.
Mobile broadband deployments are continuing in parallel to Vodafone's fibre rollout.
The operator said its LTE (4G) network currently covers 2,500 Italian municipalities, while 80 cities are covered by an LTE Advanced (LTE-A) network that offers data rates of up to 225 Mbps. Vodafone plans to increase LTE-A deployments to an additional 30 cities by March 2015.
Separately, Russia-headquartered handset manufacturer Yota Devices on Friday revealed an exclusive deal with Vodafone Italy covering its latest smartphone, the YotaPhone 2.
Starting in December, the operator will offer the device in 700 Italian stores on its Relax post-pay tariff and "rechargeable" tariffs, complementing Yota Device's online sales of the device.
Yota Devices has placed a suggested retail price of €749 on the Android-powered smartphone, including VAT.
The unit's unique selling point is that it features two screens: one for mainstream features including web browsing and video streaming; the other for reading, notifications, and improved visibility outdoors.
Yota Device said the dual-screen approach means its device can offer three times the battery life of comparable Android smartphones.
For more:
- see Vodafone Italy's fibre announcement [in Italian]
- read Yota Devices' press release
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