(Telecompaper) Italian broadband operator Fastweb has announced a new plan to expand its next-generation access network to over 100 Italian cities by the end of 2016. The new project comes two years after the operator initiated a EUR 400 million investment plan to bring fibre to 20 percent of Italian households and companies by the end of 2016. With the September 2012 initiative nearing completion, Fastweb has now pledged to bring ultrafast broadband to 27 percent of the population or 7.5 million households and businesses in over 100 cities by the end of 2016, some 2 million more than its original plan. Around 5.5 million households and businesses will have access to the operator's FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) network, while a further 2 million will be connected to Fastweb's FTTH (fibre to the home) network. In a statement Fastweb confirmed that the expanded fibre deployment plan will not alter its expected Capex trend due to a re-allocation of funds from existing infrastructure. The operator's total investments in 2015 will be around EUR 500 million or 10 percent lower than its Capex for 2014. It added that it would meet its year-end target of 3.5 million potential customers covered by over 13,000 new street cabinets.