Italy: Telecom Italia reaches antitrust deal with Fastweb

Telecom Italia has reached an agreement with broadband operator Fastweb to settle a longstanding antitrust dispute for which Fastweb was claiming EUR 1.7 billion in damages, according to unnamed sources cited by business daily Il Sole 24 Ore. However, no details were provided as to whether the claim was actually dropped.

The deal appears to have come after the Italian Council of State earlier this year dismissed an appeal lodged by Telecom Italia against a EUR 104 million fine imposed by Italy’s competition authority AGCM in May 2013 relating to the operator’s abuse of its dominant market position in fixed-line network infrastructure. Rivals Wind and Fastweb accused the former incumbent of having obstructed their access to the wholesale network between 2009 and 2011, thus hindering competition in the fixed-line voice and broadband sectors.

Earlier this year, Telecom Italia CEO Marco Patuano revealed that the company’s plan to fold the OpenAccess unit that guarantees equality of access to rival operators into Telecom Italia’s wholesale business was based on “resolving all outstanding disputes past and present.

Otherwise it won’t work.” The report adds that Telecom Italia has also started negotiations with Vodafone Italia over a EUR 1 billion damages request based on the former incumbent’s abuse of its dominant position in fixed-line network infrastructure.

Full content: Reuters

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