Vodafone plots swoop for 10% Metroweb stake

Vodafone Italy is reportedly interested in buying a 10% stake in Milan-based metropolitan fibre-optic operator Metroweb, which connects to some of the biggest cities in Northern Italy, including: Bologna, Torino, Verona, Vicenza and Genova. According to Bloomberg, the British-owned cellco has already contacted Metroweb with a view to commencing negotiations. As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, last month Italian broadband provider FastWeb signed an agreement to acquire 11.1% of Metroweb, for an unconfirmed fee, rumoured to be around EUR48 million (USD64.8 million). Following the completion of the transaction, Metroweb’s revised shareholder structure will be as follows: infrastructure fund F2i (61.4%); Milanese municipal utility firm A2A (25.7%); FastWeb (11.1%) and Metroweb management (1.8%). In June 2011 F2i and Intesa Sanpaolo’s IMI Investimenti unit acquired 76.5% of Metroweb for EUR436 million from UK-based majority shareholder Stirling Square Capital. In addition, earlier that month it was rumoured that Telecom Italia (TI) had struck a deal with F2i to operate the company’s fibre-optic infrastructure in Milan. Although details of the tie-up were sketchy, local press reports indicated that TI will take a 40% stake in the Milanese aspect of the business, but would not invest in the company itself.