Snam is Italy’s leading operator for the transport and dispatching of natural gas, managing nearly all of the country’s gas infrastructure with over 32,800 km of high- and medium-pressure pipelines. Including international activities, its network extends to approximately 38,000 km. Snam also ranks first in Europe for natural gas storage capacity (around 17 billion cubic meters) and is a major player in LNG regasification. With more than 80 years of experience building and managing energy networks, Snam plays a critical role in ensuring energy security for Europe while advancing the energy transition through investments in green gases, energy efficiency, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies.
In 2023, Vodafone Business and Snam signed an agreement to build a private hybrid 5G network infrastructure, the first of its kind in Italy’s energy sector. The new network, integrated with Vodafone’s national public network, provides dedicated coverage across Snam’s 23 sites nationwide.
The hybrid 5G Mobile Private Network (MPN) will enable Snam to connect a large number of devices simultaneously, supporting innovative use cases such as:
- IoT-enabled field sensors for measuring pressure, vibration, and other parameters
- Remote diagnostics and plant monitoring
- Augmented and virtual reality solutions for technician training and remote support
- Video surveillance and intrusion detection
Designed to combine ultra-wide bandwidth, low latency, and high security, the infrastructure ensures critical operational data is transmitted securely and reliably. An important innovation is the use of Vodafone MPN SIM cards that can seamlessly switch between private and public networks, ensuring service continuity even outside the dedicated coverage areas.
This project marks one of Vodafone’s largest Mobile Private Network deployments in Europe and showcases the growing role of private 5G in supporting sustainability, operational resilience, and the digital transformation of the energy sector.
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