French operator Iliad said it has gained 1 million customers in Italy in the 50 days since launching there on 29 May. The company's EUR 5.99 per month offering, which includes 30 GB of 4G data, was initially reserved for the first million customers but Iliad, which operates in France under the Free brand, said the deal will now be opened to a further 200,000 customers.
The company aims to shake up the Italian mobile market in the same way it did its home market, where it has won over 20 million clients since its 2012 launch, claiming its offer, which also includes unlimited calls and texts, is five times cheaper than Italy's existing operators.
In a report published in June, Standard & Poor's said it expected Iliad to reach the million-customer threshold within a year and that it was unlikely to disrupt the Italian market but in the same month, market leader TIM launched a low-cost bundle offering 20 GB of 4G data and unlimited calls for EUR 7 per month.
According to research from Telecompaper, the EUR 5.99 introductory offer compared to an average price for a SIM-only plan in Italy with more than 1,000 minutes and 10 GB a month of EUR 23 per month in the first quarter of 2018.
Iliad charges EUR 9.99 for its SIM cards, which are available at over 100 own-brand stores and other outlets, including dispensing machines.
Iliad founder Xavier Niel said last year he aimed to capture quickly 10-15 percent of the Italian mobile market thanks to aggressive pricing.
