NOTIZIE ITALTEL

ITALTEL AGAIN LEADER IN THE SOFTSWITCH MARKET

Updated data by Research Companies Infonetics Research and Dittberner Associates.

In 2004, for the second year running, Italtel is the market leader in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) for revenues from software-based voice, data and video switching and networking systems, the so-called Softswitch market.

Italtel achieved a market share equal to 26% of the aggregate sales revenues in this sector (exceeding US $167 million), beating the closest competitor by nine percentage points.

This is confirmed by Infonetics Research, a leading international research and consulting company for the telecom and data networking industry. "Italtel is helping transform the telecom landscape in Europe, again capturing the top revenue position in the softswitch market for 2004, - said Kevin Mitchell, directing analyst with Infonetics Research and author of the report. - We expect European carrier adoption of VoIP networks and services to further take shape in 2005 and Italtel is in a strong position to move forward in this market."

According to another leading hi-tech research firm, Dittberner Associates, Italtel ranked third in the worldwide softswitch market while strengthening its leadership position in the EMEA region in terms of both ports shipped and revenue.
According to Dittberner, more than 14% of the over 7.5 million VoIP ports shipped worldwide was supplied and implemented by Italtel, now the third global vendor in the first quarter 2005. The Company more than doubled its share of lines sold (from 6% to 14%). In terms of revenue, Italtel ranked third worldwide with 11% market share.

Italy invests little in ICT

The worldwide ICT market is growing at a lively rate, but Italy is having a hard time keeping up. The TLC sector is seeing growth thanks to mobile telephony and services, however broadband Internet access is doubling and network infrastructure investments are resuming.

While in 2004 the rest of the world saw a definite upturn in the ICT market, Italy remains at a standstill that has the country's competitive system in its grip. An idea of the situation can be seen from key data extracts in the Assinform Report 2005, overseen by NetConsulting.

In 2004, the aggregate market for IT and telecommunications showed a business volume in Italy of 61,180 million euro, an increase of 1.5% with respect to 2003, compared with 5.9% recorded at a global level and 3.4% at a European level.

If, in the IT sector (hardware and software), the slump of 2002 was seen to continue, with above all small and medium size enterprises as the leading players, the TLC sector was encouragingly active, with strong growth in broadband services and a significant growth trend in mobile telephony and associated services.

The Italian telecommunications market (devices, terminals and services for fixed and mobile networks) registered a slight recovery (+2.4%) with respect to 2003 (where growth was only 1.8%), but the increase is still way off the European average, which recorded +4%. Nonetheless, there are positive signs: the push in services continues, with overall growth of 3%, and the vertical drop in infrastructure investments has been checked, especially in the most innovative sectors (VoIP and convergence solutions).

In the mobile sector, voice services have reached saturation levels, but VAS have caught on (+20.4%), made up principally of messaging and infotainment, supported by the spread of 2.5G and UMTS terminals. In fixed line services, the sharp rise in Internet connections (+24.6%), especially broadband access, which has by now reached 4.45 million Italians against 2.25 millions in 2003, needs to be highlighted. Elements which confirm a predominantly mass demand picture that is stimulating recovery in infrastructure investments in order to supply ever more advanced, convergent services and content.