Leading Italian Radio Station Upgrades Wi-Fi to Deliver Better Broadcasts to a Bigger Audience -
Milan & Rome, Italy
RTL 102.5 is a private Italian FM radio station born in the 80s that utilized isofrequency, allowing the station to be heard throughout the country on frequency band 102.5. The move made RTL 102.5 the network of choice in the world of Italian radio.
The station uses the hit radio format, exclusively airing only big hits—both Italian and foreign. The schedule also includes entertainment and information 24 hours a day, all year long with about 45 hosts who alternate on-air from their offices in Milan and Rome.
RTL 102.5 was also the first private Italian radio station to have its own editorial office with a team of over 50 people including journalists, correspondents, and collaborators.
For nearly 25 years, they have been providing audiences with news, in-depth analysis, interviews, traffic reports, sporting events, current affairs, and music. RTL 102.5 is in fact a partner with the biggest Italian tour groups, often airing live musical events.
Today RTL 102.5 reaches almost eight million listeners and is the most listened to radio station in Italy with the Radiovision format, allowing access on the web and on all smartphones and tablets. RTL 102.5 is also interactive, allowing all listeners to interact through phone, SMS, internet, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram from all over the world.
The Need
The radio station has two locations in Milan and Rome that communicate with each other through a 34 Mbit/s SDH connection, while the internet connection operates on a 40 Mbit/s CDN.
RTL 102.5 is one of the first radio stations in Italy to broadcast not only in FM but also with DAB technology. In addition to broadcasting on DAB, RTL 102.5 offers its listeners a free Traffic Message Channel (TMC) service, integrated into the FM radio channel and used for real-time transmission of information on traffic and weather conditions. The information is communicated to the driver through a display or a synthesized voice in the user’s preferred language.
The Transport Protocol Experts Group (TPEG) service is also broadcast on the digital frequencies of RTL 102.5 on an experimental basis, which in addition to transmitting traffic data, carries additional information on parking, train schedules, flight schedules, and tourist info.
The Solution
The reputable radio station wanted to replace its existing Wi-Fi network, with a new seamless, centrally managed network that could simplify all the configuration and maintenance operations of the network itself.
The need was to find an optimal solution for a reasonable investment. After some careful evaluation, RTL 102.5 decided to opt for the EnGenius EnSky solution. The proposal was perfectly in line with their expectations for ease of use, integration with the existing infrastructure, performance, and low cost.
Currently, 24 EWS357AP access points and 5 EWS5912FP switches have been installed in the main office in Cologno Monzese, a commune in Milan. The same product package will soon be implemented in the Rome office as well.
The Result
RTL 102.5 opted for the EnSky solution by EnGenius, the on-premises solution with ezMaster management. This application has optimized the quality of coverage and management of WiFi infrastructure through power regulation and wireless roaming management of individual access points.
The radio station technician says that, despite a distinct network configuration, the direct technical support of Alessandro Monieri of EnGenius guided them in a simple way to correctly configure all devices.
Both employees and guests have access to a dedicated and secure network with the highest level of efficiency, coverage, performance, and reliability.
The balance of the installation is positive since both expectations and needs have been met and since the product turned out to work as well as it was described in the presentation phase—in other words, it returned the best results.
