MRK Group Italia has recently started the design of OpenFiber’s FTTH network in Rovereto. The project will cover approximately 16,000 business and residential units throughout the city, and will bring direct fiber optic connections to each house, office or flat in the area. The delivery of the first batch of 5000 is planned towards the end of the year.  OpenFiber will sell the new connections on a wholesale basis, namely to other operators who will then sell them commercially to the general public. In this project, MRK is associated in a consortium[i] with three other telecommunication and engineering companies with whom will share the tasks, from planning and design to project management

The network footprint will originate in a new purposely-built POP within the Polo Meccatronica area and spread from there covering amongst other the town center, S. Giorgio, Borgo Sacco, S. Maria and Lizzana. The metropolitan loops will then be connected to the main OpenFiber national backbone.

To limit the amount of new digging, the network path will make extensive use of pre-existing underground facilities owned by other operators and utility companies (i.e., TIM, Trentino Digitale). To ensure the best possible delivery into the individual properties, we will also conduct a number of on-site inspections (“walk-ins”) in agreement with site owners and administrators.

MRK has been designing and building FTTH networks in many German cities for many years through MRK Media AG, our German sister company. Now we are duplicating our model and expertise in Italy

with the setup of a new dedicated FTTH core group of designer, with the plan to contribute in extending FTTH adoption throughout the country.

[i] The consortium includes Laboratorio Marconi (lead partner), MRK, Aon, FP Ingegneria