Telecom Italia, Aria work together to meet WiMAX rollout requirements

Italian WiMAX operator Aria has joined with Telecom Italia to deploy a WiMAX network that will cover the central and southern regions of Italy and the island of Sardinia. According to the deal, Aria will use Telecom Italia's 3.5 GHz spectrum and transport network for backhaul. In return, Telecom Italia will have access to Aria's nationwide wholesale services.

Telecom Italia purchased three regional 3.5 GHz licenses but has not yet deployed a network. The deal with Aria will allow Telecom Italia to meet its license requirements for significantly less cost since Aria will pay for the deployment and maintenance costs of the new WiMAX network.

For more:
- see this report from Ovum

Related article:
Europe allows mobile WiMAX at 3.5 GHz