Swisscom's Italian broadband provider Fastweb has called on the European Commission to consider whether Iliad’s proposal to create a fourth Italian mobile network operator can compete effectively on the market. Fastweb confirmed that it had been working on its own plan to set up a mobile operator in recent months, and that its proposal guaranteed the coverage of 100 percent of Italy’s territory with 4G and 5G-ready technologies, backed by its fibre-optic infrastructure. The operator said it considered the plan “suitable to promote competition and the country’s digital development, guaranteeing a significant level of investments, as has always been the case since the company's inception."
The statement was released following Iliad’s announcement that it has signed an agreement to acquire the frequencies and infrastructure assets freed up by Wind and 3 Italia, the local subsidiaries of VimpelCom and CK Hutchison, if they gain antitrust approval to merge. The agreement involves the transfer to the French operator of a balanced set of 3G and 4G frequencies for EUR 450 million, with payment phased between 2017 and 2019, as well as an undertaking to acquire several thousand macro sites in rural areas. According to French daily Les Echos, Iliad’s investment to create a fourth Italian mobile operator could reach up to EUR 1.5 billion.
