Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 17, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
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Lombardy partners with Starlink to test satellite internet, aiming to improve connectivity in remote areas. The project involves Swisscom's Fastweb and Leonardo's Telespazio.
MILAN (Reuters) -Italy's Lombardy region on Thursday picked a consortium of firms using Starlink's low-orbit satellite constellation in a pilot project to see if space-based connectivity is a viable solution to boost high-speed internet penetration in the country.
Lombardy, home to Italy's financial capital Milan, launched a tender for a 4.1 million euro project to test wholesale systems combining fibre and satellite-based networks to bring fast Internet connections in remote and poorly served areas.
A joint proposal from Swisscom's Fastweb and Italian defence group Leonardo satellite unit Telespazio has been awarded the pilot project, a regional document showed on Thursday.
A source close to the matter said the test is expected to involve the use of Starlink's satellite constellation.
Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo and French peer Thales last year secured an agreement with Elon Musk's low orbit satellite unit Starlink to commercialise its satellite service.
Italy is grappling with delays in state-backed rollout plans for ultra-fast terrestrial telecoms networks for households in sparsely populated areas, with latest European Union data pointing to a coverage of 36.8% last year against an EU average of about 60%.
(Reporting by Elvira Pollina and Giulia SegretiEditing by Keith Weir)
The pilot project aims to test the viability of space-based connectivity using Starlink's satellite services to enhance Internet access.
The consortium includes Swisscom's Fastweb and the Italian defense group Leonardo's satellite unit Telespazio.
The project has a budget of 4.1 million euros to test the combination of fibre and satellite-based networks.
Italy is facing delays in the rollout of ultra-fast terrestrial telecom networks, particularly in sparsely populated areas, making satellite connectivity a viable alternative.
Telespazio secured an agreement with Starlink to commercialize its satellite service, which is expected to be utilized in this pilot project.
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