The recent outage of Italian Enav’s data network has once again brought public attention to an infrastructure issue that warrants prompt scrutiny by the competent authorities. 

The Enet network, still used as the primary infrastructure for transmitting mission-critical operational data, has long displayed clear signs of technological obsolescence and maintenance-related vulnerabilities, while the new Enet2 network, completed, tested and funded, does not appear to have been activated yet. The Enet2 backbone was tested in 2022. From that date, the activation of the 72 national airport sites and the migration of data transmission services should have proceeded, enabling the gradual decommissioning of the old network and the simultaneous reduction of operating costs. To date, only 10 sites appear to have been prepared, and only partially migrated. 

The Enet2 network equipment is owned by Enav (and managed by specialised ATSEP personnel), yet connectivity continues to rely on Enet technology supplied by TIM, despite indications from AGCOM, which in the early 2020s had already highlighted the obsolescence of the equipment in use and the increasing difficulty of sourcing spare parts and dedicated technical expertise on the market.

From an administrative standpoint, the continuation of the contractual relationship concerning the Enet network presents aspects requiring immediate institutional review. The direct award and subsequent extensions, justified by the alleged need to keep the network operational for the time strictly necessary to bring Enet2 online, now appear plainly inconsistent with the project’s actual progress. The “Phase In” contract appears to be an addendum to the “Phase Out", which in turn was an addendum to an extension of a contract that had already been extended. This sequence of supplementary acts deserves formal examination by the Italian Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC), in order to verify the propriety of the procedures adopted and compliance with public procurement rules.

In 2019, Enav’s Board of Directors approved an economic framework for the implementation of Enet2 that provided for a strictly time-limited period of parallel operation. That framework now appears to have been entirely undermined: the new network has not been activated, while the old network continues to generate substantial costs, also as a result of the need to rely on highly specialised suppliers for the bespoke manufacture of equipment that is no longer in production.

In light of these elements, urgent institutional action appears necessary to verify:

• compliance of the direct-award procedures and contract extensions relating to the Enet network;

• consistency between Enav Board of Directors’ 2019 resolutions and economic-financial decisions, and the actual progress of the Enet2 project from 2023 onwards;

• compliance with AGCOM’s guidance on the decommissioning of obsolete and non-compliant telecommunications equipment;

• the possible existence of administrative and public-finance liability arising from the failure to activate Enet2 and from the continuation of extension contracts for the old infrastructure.

In a recent message to staff, the new Chief Executive Officer announced “major new investments in the network". In the interests of transparency, safety protection and sound management of public resources, it is essential first to clarify the actual status of the Enet2 network—already completed, tested and paid for—and the reasons why, four years later, it remains entirely unused.