Retelit invests in its network, making it AI-ready and quantum threat-proof

Retelit, a leading Italian company in the Telco & ICT sector fully focused on the B2B market, announces a €20 million investment to upgrade its fiber optic network in collaboration with Nokia and Cisco. The new network, the first in Italy to integrate the IP and optical layers, will use advanced technologies and AI systems with a clear promise for customers: faster and more reliable connections, maximum data protection even against quantum computing threats, and flexible data traffic management with real-time performance monitoring.

With a supported capacity of 800 Gbps per circuit — which can exceed 1 Tbps in the future — the new network will ensure fast and stable connections even during peak traffic periods. These features are particularly relevant for Telco and OTT customers, for whom network scalability and low latency are crucial to support AI applications. More generally, business customers will have the assurance of consistently high performance and connectivity capable of supporting the digital applications and services of the future. Moreover, thanks to the integration with artificial intelligence systems, performance will be automatically optimized, ensuring a simpler and more efficient digital experience.

The new network will be entirely software-defined, meaning it can be fully programmed via software. This makes it highly flexible and customer-centric, enabling businesses to autonomously manage their circuits, selecting configurations and routes based on operational needs. Traffic flows can be optimized according to innovative criteria: it will be possible to choose the type of technology used — fiber optics, wireless, or other solutions — as well as the most energy-efficient type of traffic routing. In this way, sustainability becomes a concrete choice: companies will be able to reduce CO2 emissions and contribute to a greener future, without compromising connectivity performance or reliability.

On the security front—one of the network’s core pillars and most innovative features—the new infrastructure will be quantum-safe. Thanks to next-generation encryption technologies, business data will be protected today and remain secure in the future, anticipating the challenges of quantum computing. For customers, this means having the certainty that information, transactions, and communications will always travel safely. This is a crucial advantage for organizations handling sensitive or critical data, such as hospitals and healthcare facilities, energy operators, financial institutions, and government or defense organizations.
Additionally, customers will have full visibility of their Retelit service performance through advanced analytics systems that display real-time connectivity status. With AI integration, Retelit will be able to monitor network traffic as perceived by end users—allowing proactive action to always ensure maximum service quality.

Covering more than 70 provincial capitals out of 95, Retelit’s new network will extend even further across Italy, reaching as far as Sicily. Completion is expected by 2026, with the first sites going live in the coming months.

“With this new infrastructure, we are ready to offer our customers ultra-high-capacity connectivity that is secure, quantum-safe, and ready to meet the growing demand for broadband. Thanks to Nokia and Cisco’s most advanced technologies, we can guarantee unprecedented capacity and performance, delivering digital solutions that are secure, sustainable, and future-proof. The optimization of operations is a strategic advantage—it allows Retelit to manage the network more simply and efficiently and, above all, enables our team to be proactive with customers, monitoring the network, intervening promptly, and anticipating their needs,” said Ruggero Slongo, Chief Technology and Operating Officer of Retelit.

“We are proud to collaborate with Retelit on such a significant project as the complete renewal of their network, providing Cisco technologies that ensure high performance and maximum security. One of the greatest benefits is the integration of IP and optical layers, which allows significant improvements in efficiency and scalability, as already demonstrated by major international operators. This project will enable Retelit to manage a fully automated network—simpler to operate, more resilient, and ready to grow with future needs,” commented Gianmatteo Manghi, CEO of Cisco Italia.

“Our collaboration with Retelit on this strategic project reflects our shared vision of innovation. The Nokia technologies integrated into Retelit’s new network will ensure ultra-broadband, resilient, and high-performance connectivity. Using AI-driven systems in operations, it will be possible to proactively monitor the network and automatically optimize performance parameters. A key element for future cybersecurity evolution will be the quantum-safe protection, ensuring end-to-end encryption that safeguards customer data even in the era of quantum computing,” said Stefano Grieco, CEO and VP of Nokia Italy.