If Italian fibre operator Metroweb does not end up selling a stake to suitors Telecom Italia or Vodafone, minority owner Cassa Depositi e Prestiti is willing to buy it, said CDP chairman Franco Bassanini.
Speaking to Reuters, he said: “If there are…
If Italian fibre operator Metroweb does not end up selling a stake to suitors Telecom Italia or Vodafone, minority owner Cassa Depositi e Prestiti is willing to buy it, said CDP chairman Franco Bassanini.
Speaking to Reuters, he said: “If there are no investors willing to buy [domestic infrastructure fund] F2i’s stake in Metroweb, it’s not a mystery for anyone that CDP will step in to buy it.”
State-backed lender CDP’s FSI unit owns 46.2% of Metroweb, while F2i owns the remaining 53.8%.
In its recently announced 2015-2017 strategic plan, Telecom Italia said it would invest €10bn in Italy, directing much of this towards a national fibre roll-out it would like to lead.
The government, in its own recently-announced digital strategy plan, said it planned to invest €6bn in high-speed broadband, with another €6bn to come from private investors – most likely telecoms operators.
Both Telecom Italia and the government consider Metroweb central to establishing a national fibre network, and it is not yet clear whether they will work together.
Vodafone, for its part, has been buying up fixed-line assets in Europe in a bid to establish fixed/mobile convergence leadership in its existing markets. Vodafone has also been linked to Fastweb, the Italian fixed-line subsidiary of Swisscom.
Reuters also quoted government official Raffaele Tiscar as saying that a decree on broadband incentives would be ready by mid-April. This comes as Telecom Italia CEO and others have criticised the government’s broadband plan as lacking regulatory clarity on deadlines and requirements.
