Infrastructure and network services for communications
We guarantee a public radio and television service for the broadcasting and transmission of radio and television content, both in Italy and abroad. We use our assets, as well as the most advanced technological solutions, to offer infrastructure and network services to our customers.
We have established our position as leaders in the Italian market for communication and network services infrastructure. This is thanks to our distinctive characteristics, such as:
Our business model is not directly impacted by the economic cycle; this has solidified our resilience, especially during the economic and health crisis of COVID-19.
Rai Way’s Strengths:
Yesterday, we were pioneers in radio and television broadcasting infrastructure in Italy.
Today, we are the market leaders.
We offer unbeatable transmission and broadcasting services not just for Rai, but also for other TV and radio operators.
In 2008, our network reached an important technological milestone; we transitioned from analogue to digital terrestrial (DTT). Thanks to this switch, Rai is able to ensure a universality in our public services, with coverage of MUX 1 (Rai channels 1, 2, and 3) to more than 99% of the population.
Today, we are undergoing another fundamental evolution: transitioning to DVB-T2 technology and to a higher compression standard (MPEG4/HEVC). This is needed to clear up frequency band 700MHz, which will make way for the development of 5G.
This process, known as ‘re-farming’, has two primary benefits:
In transitioning to a new DVB T2 technology transmission system, re-farming:
The process of our switch to DVB-T2 and to new compression standards has been subjected to an agreement with Rai, signed in December 2019.
Rai’s investment in our re-farming project is significant: 150 million Euros in total.
Our business model is evolving to reflect the changes in the sector we operate in, responding to a deep-rooted and dynamic evolutionary process – which could also be considered disruptively innovative – of digital transformation and new methods of producing content.
In terms of the television market, Italy is characterised by the resilience of its digital terrestrial broadcasting (DTT), which is much more prevalent than other television platforms, when compared to other countries. The motivation, therefore, is twofold: it is both historic and technological.
More than 70% of Italian families choose digital terrestrial television as the primary platform for accessing television content. Cable TV has never been developed, and satellite TV is mainly used for Pay-TV and, where necessary, to supplement DTT coverage in unreached areas. Compared to the OTT (Over the Top) platform, DTT shows a good resilience with a stable audience (about 10 million viewers throughout the day) and a share of 85% of broadcasters' advertising revenues.
What do Italians choose: traditional or on-demand television?
The two methods of television consumption are actually more complementary than substitutionary. On-demand TV is prevalent when it comes to non-live and deferrable content (like series or films), whilst the linear method remains top choice for live or non-deferrable events aimed at a large audience, such as entertainment, sports, and news. In terms of costs and capacity, DTT broadcasting remains, therefore, the most efficient way to distribute the offer of traditional broadcasters
This complementary nature between the two platforms is confirmed by trend analyses carried out in recent studies and questionnaires. It was found that:
A mix of broadband and broadcasting platforms are, therefore, proven. This allows us to reap the benefits of both, such as:
Where do we see ourselves in the future?
Rai Way is open to a number of long-term prospects, thanks to the services we offer on new platforms, as well as potential activities relating to the upgrading of our networks (for example, with 5G).
In particular, we intend to reinforce our role in the Media & Broadcasting value chain by following four main directives:
In terms of the Italian radio market, the transmission of analogue radio in FM is supported by DAB+ (Digital Audio Broadcasting) networks. The two transmissive technologies will continue to work parallel to each other.
As well as ensuring the transmission and broadcasting of RAI radio services, we are adapting to be able to:
Our unique network infrastructure, characterised by quality towers strategically placed to provide coverage to the entire population of Itaand landscapely, makes Rai Way’s assets a point of reference not just for TV and radio clientscostumerscustomers, but also for the development of services for telecommunications operators.
What sets our towers apart is, in particular, their presence in rural and more peripheral areas of the country. This was necessary in guaranteeing a public radio and television broadcasting service.
Our services integrate hosting (i.e., the hosting of our towers on third-party apparatus, such as that of broadcasters and telecommunications operators) and complementary services which add value to the planning of networks, the management and maintenance of systems, and energy supply.
Our assets support the development of mobile network coverage, as well as the extension of fixed broadband services in white and grey areas. This is achieved through Fixed Wireless Access technology.
The tower rental market presents opportunities related to the predicted acceleration of new-generation broadband network development, both mobile (5G) and fixed, thanks to ‘Fixed Wireless Access’. But what does this mean? FWA is the technology which allows for increased broadband coverage in order to sustain the broadcasting of new services.
Our DTT coverage reaches 99.8% of the population. This is why we consider ourselves a strategic asset in the relevant market, as well as an important figure in overcoming the digital divide. In this way, we are able to reach:
In the Tower Business sector, we have launched a process which aims to broaden our value proposition, studying and developing a number of relevant initiatives, including:
Strengthened by in our long-standing experience with RAI, we apply our engineering, planning, and managerial knowledge, as well as our technological and human resources, to the services we provide to all our clients. We are able to bring value to activities related to Tower Rental, to transmission and broadcasting needs, and to innovative and high-tech services.
We constantly monitor new business opportunities which allow us to diversify and expand the services we offer. In this way, we are able to ensure growth and synergy prospects with core businesses in infrastructural sectors similar to our own, such as Data Center, Edge Data Center, and Content Delivery Network services.
In a sector such as ours, which is undergoing a dynamic consolidation process, we are dedicated to pursuing growth strategies and acquiring relevant competitive factors, e.g. the reinforcement of diversity and the dimensional scale.
Our choices intend to add value to both our elevated technological knowledge and our unique infrastructure. For example: they allow us the possibility to take advantage of the strategic positioning of our towers across Italy, considering also opportunities which allow for:
We contribute to the technical evolution of the country through our activities and investments.
