News
Italian broadband operator shares its own plan for becoming country’s fourth mobile network operator using 3 Italia/Wind assets.
Fastweb this week showed that it was genuinely keen to acquire the portfolio of assets CK Hutchison and VimpelCom plan to divest as a result of their Italian merger by calling on the European Commission to open up a consultation into the companies’ recently-announced deal with Iliad.
France’s Iliad announced on Tuesday that it has brokered a deal to acquire mobile towers and spectrum – provided Hutch and VimpelCom get the regulatory go-ahead to merge their 3 Italia and Wind businesses – that will enable it to become a new facilities-based mobile operator in Italy.
It seems that Iliad pipped a number of rival bidders to the post. Fastweb was one of a number of parties reported to have submitted bids for the assets in question a month ago, although it did not make an official comment on the subject until Iliad was unveiled as the winner.
The Italian broadband provider had submitted its own plan to become the country’s fourth mobile network operator to the European Commission, and the latter had deemed it suitable to safeguard competition in the market, Fastweb explained, in a statement. Under the plan, it had guaranteed to cover the whole of Italy with 4G and 5G-ready technologies, leveraging its existing fibre infrastructure, it said.
"Fastweb believes its plan suitable to promote competition and the digital development of the country, providing significant investments as it has always been the case since its inception," Fastweb said.
"We hope that Iliad’s proposal can guarantee the same level of investment and development and we ask that the Commission submit it to a market consultation," the telco added.
