Telecom Italia drops network spin-off plan

Telecom Italia has reportedly set aside plans to spin off its networks business into a separate company and will instead concentrate on the creation of a new unit within Telecom Italia to manage its fixed line infrastructure. Local newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore reports that the telco’s chief executive, Franco Bernabe, has told the board that the spin-off is no longer a priority, while another Italian paper, Corriere della Sera, says that a new division will be created within Telecom Italia’s Technology unit to manage the local loop network and ensure equal access to competitors.