• The agreement includes four joint research projects focusing on innovation in telecommunications
• and a scholarship supporting women in STEM subjects

FiberCop, the company managing Italy’s most extensive and far-reaching digital infrastructure, and Politecnico di Milano have launched a strategic partnership for the design and development of next-generation network infrastructure.

The agreement includes joint research projects and training initiatives, with the aim of promoting innovation in the Italian telecommunications sector.

The four research projects

Four joint research projects have already been launched in different areas, in particular:

- Advanced connectivity and new wholesale services: this project leverages FiberCop’s nationwide network as an open platform for operators, enabling innovative business models based on edge cloud technologies and the trial of Network Digital Twin solutions.

- Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning for the design of next-generation optical networks, enabling cost reduction, increased transmission capacity and optimised use of network resources.

- Quantum cryptography on PON networks, aiming to integrate Quantum Key Distribution security technologies into FiberCop’s passive Fibre to the Home (FTTH) access networks, ensuring more secure communications and resilience against future cyber threats.

- Applications of Hollow Core Fibre,a type of optical fibre that allows data to be transmitted with extremely low latency and greater energy efficiency than with traditional fibres, delivering faster, more sustainable and more innovative connections.

“The collaboration with Politecnico di Milano – which follows the partnership already established within the 5G & Connected Digital Industry Observatory – marks a concrete step towards building an open innovation ecosystem, with the goal of developing smarter, more sustainable and more secure digital infrastructure to support the country’s digital transformation,” states Daniele Franceschini, Head of Technology & Innovation at FiberCop.

“Collaborations such as the one with FiberCop make it possible to connect academic research with real-world problems related to the development of next-generation networks. Working on real cases is essential for testing technological solutions and developing advanced skills,” says Antonio Capone, Full Professor of Telecommunications at Politecnico di Milano.

From supporting STEM excellence to in-house training

Within the framework of the partnership, numerous joint initiatives have also been launched in the areas of talent development and training. FiberCop is taking part in the Girls@PoliMi initiative by funding one of the three-year scholarships worth €8,000 per year, awarded to female students enrolling on Engineering degree programmes with low female participation (Electronic Engineering; Computer Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Automation Engineering; Engineering Physics). Politecnico di Milano is also among the universities involved in FiberCop’s Graduate Programme, a 12-month training scheme that offers recent Master’s graduates opportunities for permanent positions with the company.

The collaboration also includes training initiatives for FiberCop employees, including the advanced course “Broadband Telecom Networks”.