Italy's antitrust and competition authority AGCM has announced the launch of a new investigation into the last-mile fibre and copper grid company set up by Telecom Italia (TIM). The operator currently holds 58 percent of the company, dubbed FiberCop, with KKR Infrastructure having acquired 37.5 percent earlier this year and Fastweb retaining 4.5 percent thanks to its holding in the Flash Fiber joint venture. The watchdog said FiberCop is a strategic national project requiring full transparency if the crucial objective of increasing the country's fibre uptake is to be achieved.
In a statement, AGCM said the probe would examine contracts regulating the creation and operation of the FiberCop network as well as supply deals with the operators Fastweb and Tiscali. “The development of fibre telecommunications networks represents a strategic objective for our country that can only be achieved rapidly through healthy, dynamic competition,” it said, while recognising “the possible efficiencies of shared infrastructure projects”.
In a joint statement, TIM and Fastweb welcomed the investigation, which they said had been launched at their request “in the spirit of collaboration that has always characterised the relationship of the two operators with the authorities in the sector”. They reiterated that the aim is to launch FiberCop's operations in the first quarter of 2021 and that the unit is targeting the coverage of 76 percent of household premises in grey and black areas of the country by 2025.
Last month, the European Commission announced that the decision by TIM to spin off its last-mile fibre and copper grid company and sell a minority stake to KKR Infrastructure did not pose a concentration risk.
