Telecommunications in the public squares of Naples Neapolitan local authorities are using new computer technology to combat social exclusion and unemployment. Computer equipment has been installed in two public squares, one in the Scampia district and the other near the port of Naples. These are community computer centres, available free of charge so that all social groups can have an opportunity to use high tech telecommunications services. These centres are public places chosen to encourage meetings with professionals, as well as promoting cultural growth and social development. They could provide computer-based/multimedia literacy courses to develop new vocational skills. They will also play a part in promoting distance working.
Interference-free communications Campania’s telecommunications sector has improved significantly with new services disseminated throughout the region, such as multimedia services, new transmission technology and digital equipment. Telephone networks have been upgraded with the laying of 11,000 km of fibre optic cables, thereby providing video and interactive multimedia services. New radio relay equipment has been installed in Nola, Naples- Chiaia and Fuorigrotta, while telephone exchanges based on old technology at Nola, Casavatore and Herculaneum have been replaced by new digital exchanges. Finally, 44,000 ISDN connections have been installed, permitting faster data transmission.
Superfilters for clearer hearing In the field of mobile telephony the Naples Research Unit of the Italian Institute for the Physics of Matter (Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia – INFM) is coordinating a research project aimed at producing high-selectivity, very low loss microwave superconductor filters for cellular base stations. Filters of this type improve telephone signal reception, reduce the number of dropped calls and the interference and distortion frequently caused by the presence of several telephone service providers in the same area. Using filters of this type in transmission and reception can make existing systems more efficient and thus reduce the number of base stations required. In other words, it may reduce emission power levels – something which would, of course, be beneficial in environmental terms. In addition, the high selectivity frequency response will, together with an appreciable reduction in size, make the filters extremely attractive in the context of the development of third-generation cell telephone systems (UMTS). The project is the first attempt in Italy – and one of the first in Europe – to produce microwave systems and devices based on high critical temperature superconductors and to orient their development towards real market applications. The main aim of the project is to produce an operating front-end receiver based on a superconductive preselection filter and a cryogenic amplifier featuring extremely low noise, operating on the 1710 to 1785 MHz band for the uplink channel (from portable telephone to base station). The receiver is kept at a temperature of 60-70 K by means of an extremely compact and reliable cryogenerator. The project was completed on time and the finished prototype is undergoing testing at the Omnitel facilities in Milan.
Faster and safer by road and rail A sharp increase in traffic on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria motorway meant it required upgrading only thirty years after it was built. ANAS is currently building a third lane and a hard shoulder on the busiest stretch between the Salerno and Sicignano exits – a total distance of 53 km. A hard shoulder and a 4 metre-wide central reservation are being built along the motorway’s remaining 390 km. ANAS has also taken steps to improve safety by installing a satellite control device, which provides video surveillance of the service and parking areas and of the motorway access ramps. This device has helped improve radio communications and police patrols operating on the motorway. A number of rail projects have speeded up freight and passenger traffic on the north- south rail line and in the Naples metropolitan area, with the new “Monte del Vesuvio” line. This is an element of the overall project to complete the Naples intersection, which will rationalise the various sectors of rail traffic: freight, long-distance passenger, metropolitan and regional traffic. The new route will speed up the journey from Naples to Reggio Calabria, by linking up with the present Tyrrhenian line. Equipped with advanced safety systems and a centralised control device, it will also connect Naples Central station with the south, relieving congestion on the present Naples-Salerno line, which could then be used for metropolitan traffic only. Building the Pozzuoli-Gianturco railway loop at the Naples intersection will allow regional traffic on the Villa Literno-Pozzuoli-Naples-Torre Annunziata, Nocera-Salerno and Caserta-Cancello-Naples lines to be diverted, thus relieving traffic congestion at Naples Central and providing a high frequency service on the Pozzuoli and Gianturco stretch – necessary because of the high level of urbanisation in the area. On the Caserta-Foggia line, where a centralised control system has been installed to regulate the crossing points, the Vitulano-Benevento-Apice stretch has been double tracked, allowing faster speeds to be attained (160 km/hour) and avoiding the boggy area near the Calore river. The new double-track lines reduce overall travelling time by about 12 minutes.
CAMPANIA REGION Via S. Lucia, 81 80132 Napoli - Italy Tel: +39 081 796 25 72 Fax: +39 081 796 23 81 E-mail: [email protected]