ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s single broadband network operator cannot be controlled by a majority shareholder, the deputy industry minister said on Friday, after Telecom Italia (TIM)
The Italian government is trying to negotiate a deal between the phone group and Open Fiber, jointly owned by state lender CDP and utility Enel
But progress has been delayed as it seeks solutions to governance and regulation issues.
“Under a regulatory and antitrust profile, a single network company that supplies wholesale access services to all operators cannot be in the hands of a single, vertically integrated majority shareholder, ” Stefano Buffagni told the daily La Repubblica.
He had been asked about TIM wanting to continue to be the majority shareholder of any future network.
(Reporting by Giulia Segreti; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)