In recent years Prato is considered one of the most important Italian ICT centers in the sector, so much so that we are talking about a real ICT district. But what does ICT mean? ICT is an acronym that indicates the sector of Information and Communication Technologies, that is the sector that encompasses all the technologies that provide access to information through telecommunications. The ICT sector is growing more and more and in the last decade has incorporated pervasive disciplines in all sectors of life and economy and, by expanding the connection between people, has given rise to new opportunities for growth. Prato is one of the nerve centers at the forefront of ICT in Italy, having a considerable telematic infrastructure with total coverage of the territory with ADSL (the province of Prato obtained the 1st place in Italy in 2014 for the broadband coverage) and with optical fibers in industrial areas.
The companies in the ICT sector of the city of Prato are 656 (factories and operating units) with about 1770 employees, with an interesting specialization in information technologies (eg software production, consulting and management of computerized structures) with 220 units and 550 employees. The ICT district of Prato, relying on the local availability of skills of research centers and universities, is a stimulating environment for professionals and companies in the ICT sector, constituting a point of reference in Tuscany, which on the one hand aims to enhance the excellence present in the "ICT corridor" (Arno Valley, which starts from Prato-Florence and arrives in Pisa) attracting targeted ICT investments from abroad, on the other it tries to align itself with the dictates of the 4.0 industry on how the business models change and how growth opportunities for companies increase.