Italian Court Rejects TIM’s Appeal Against Antitrust Fine

An Italian administrative court rejected an appeal by Telecom Italia, thus upholding a 116 million euro ($130 million) fine issued by the country’s competition watchdog, reported Reuters.

In 2020, Italy’s competiton regulator (AGCM) fined Telecom Italia (TIM) for abusing its dominant position in the broadband market in an attempt to obstruct the entrance of rivals.

The authority’s move prompted Italian broadband operator Open Fiber to ask TIM for 1.5 billion euros in damages, sources have said. TIM and Open Fiber have repeatedly attempted to bring the companies together, with talks of possible merger appearing as recently as February 2022.

TIM appealed against the antitrust ruling, asking the Italian administrative court to freeze payment pending a decision on the merit of the case. In its decision the court ruled there were no compelling reasons to satisfy the request, as shown by a court document.

The Italian competition watchdog had already extended the deadline for payment of the fine until Oct.1 in response to the coronavirus emergency.

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.