Telecom Italia and Milan-based fibre network operator Metroweb are working on a project to establish common interest in extending fibre optic cable to 250 towns across Italy.

According to the chairman of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), Claudio Costamagna, if the results of the negotiations are positive, then the state-owned financing agency would be open to discussions with Telecom Italia on possible cooperation, including “an intervention on the shareholding front”.

Speaking during a press conference, Costamagna said that CDP main objectives are to facilitate the government’s broadband plan and to add value to the agency’s shareholding in Metroweb (in which it has a 46 per cent stake).

Costamagna admitted that CDP is also negotiating with other major players, including Vodafone Italia, Wind and Enel, to ascertain the best structure “to use the skills offered by Metroweb and the financial resources of CDP”.

In a related development, Telecom Italia’s TIM has signed an agreement with the Italian Association of Real Estate Administrators (ANACI) to accelerate the deployment of broadband networks using FTTH technology.

The deal will target the 100 cities included in the Italian government’s national plan that foresees bringing fibre by March 2018. TIM will be responsible for the deployment and maintenance of the networks in the common areas of the buildings, while users will benefit from ultrabroadband connections with speeds from 100 Mbps and potentially up to 1 Gbps.

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