(Telecompaper) Telecom Italia (TIM) has reached an agreement with Italy's state-owned infrastructure firm Infratel to speed up the development of superfast internet in underserved parts of the country and address the need for a more efficient network during the coronavirus lockdown. In a statement, the partners said Infratel will provide fibre-optic backbone infrastructure in 8 regions (Abruzzo, Sardinia, Tuscany, Puglia, Calabria, Lazio, Lombardy and Marche), with TIM subsequently delivering local loops to street cabinets and installing electronics components.