EOLO: Bridging the Digital Divide with 5G FWA in Italy

                                                                   Guido Garrone, CEO of EOLO

EOLO, established in 1999, has been pioneering radio technology to deliver affordable, high-speed internet and has grown into Italy's largest fixed wireless access (FWA) provider, playing a crucial role in bridging the digital divide in the country. Guido Garrone, CEO of EOLO, talks about the company’s unique advantages in the FWA sector, the significance of driving 5G FWA deployment, and the challenges of closing the digital gap nationwide. EOLO recently signed a multi-year collaboration agreement with ZTE to build a 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) FWA network, aiming to deliver superior connectivity services to households and businesses in small Italian towns, comparable to the quality delivered in major cities.

EOLO is a leading FWA broadband provider in Italy. What sets your company apart in this sector?

EOLO is the leading FWA provider in Italy, with the largest market share in the country. We have achieved this goal through continuous efforts to develop and improve our network, tested for the first time in 2007. Since then, our service has made several important technological progresses, becoming the most important FWA network using 28 GHz frequencies and mmWaves, reaching a maximum speed of 300 Mbps in download for residentials and 500 Mbps for businesses. With the work of several notable partners such as ZTE, in 2025 EOLO will be launching the first standalone FWA connectivity combining 5G and mmWave technologies, reaching a maximum download speed of 1 Gbps.

Our company has always been pioneering the use and deployment of FWA technology, identifying the best connectivity solution for rural areas and villages.

What’s the significance of driving the expansion of 5G FWA in Italy?

Our mission has always been to enable economic and social inclusion for all Italian territories, focusing on areas affected by digital divide and digital speed divide. As FTTH fiber is already serving the major cities of our country, connecting them effectively, its deployment outside main urban areas will still be unfeasible in the upcoming years because of economic reasons. Indeed, the cost model for FTTH technology increases when the population density decreases.

mmWave FWA can bring ultrabroadband connectivity outside urban areas with costs that do not depend on population. Moreover, with 1 Gbps maximum speed in download and continuous quality improvements, we will play a pivotal role in complementing FTTH fiber and offering a fiber-like experience everywhere.

To successfully achieve this goal, ZTE plays a key role as a top-tier partner. Their cutting-edge technological solutions and exceptional ability to integrate with third-party platforms—such as 5G core network, RAN and terminals—set them apart as an indispensable ally. This unique capability makes ZTE a key enabler in building a truly future-proof infrastructure, ensuring the highest quality standards and fully meeting the expectations of end customers.

What are the challenges to connect underserved communities, and how are you addressing them?

Our nation has unique geographical features, including physical and orographic barriers that hinder ultrabroadband deployment.

Geographical barriers are not the only one to look at: there are cultural challenges to consider as well. Without having the possibility to access ultrabroadband technology, several portions of our territory had not been used to receiving significant advantages from a solid and performing connectivity. Moreover, these areas have experienced a steady decline in population and business presence for several years, without sufficient interventions to reverse the trend. This means that an important share of our population doesn’t see the role played by ultrabroadband connectivity as able to bring economic growth and inclusion. Despite all these factors, these territories still represent an important portion of our social and economic national heritage. It is important to reach a deep territorial capillarity, in order to effectively show connectivity advantages for all towns and villages.

Again, Italian telecommunications sector has been suffering from profit margin erosion during last decades. As a result, a general shrinking in resources addressing infrastructural investments has occurred. It is important to make operators’ infrastructures available for common purposes, such as the digitalization process of our country.

What does the collaboration with ZTE mean for EOLO’s growth and future direction?

Partnering with ZTE is an important recognition of EOLO’s role in bridging digital divide and digital speed divide in Italy. We are extremely glad to have ZTE, one of the key players in the global telecommunications sector, as a companion on this ambitious journey.

How do you see the potential opportunities for EOLO in the coming years?

Our company can rely on an increasing customer base, today just over 700,000 households served nationwide. At the same time, seven million families of our country still lack adequate connectivity solutions, meant as broadband or ultrabroadband access. This means that, in order to align with national and international ambitious targets of digitalization for 2030, we still have room for a solid growth in terms of potential market.