Reports from Italy are suggesting that the owner of the country’s third largest cellular operator is considering buying a defunct 3G licensee. Italian utility company Enel, which is the sole shareholder of Wind, is said to be considering buying Ipse, the Italian UMTS licensee written off by its owners which include Telefónica of Spain. Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore says the deal could be finalised by the end of this month and is putting the price of Ipse at between EUR200 million and EUR280 million.
Wind already has its own 3G licence but is thought to be keen on acquiring Ipse so that it can utilise some of its frequencies and sell others on to rival groups Telecom Italia Mobile and Vodafone who hold the number one and two positions in the Italian cellular market