Telecom Italia loses EUR104m legal challenge

Italy’s Council of State has rejected a legal appeal by Telecom Italia (TI) calling for a EUR103.8 million (USD118 million) fine to be overturned. The fine was handed down in May 2013 by the country’s antitrust authority AGCM for alleged abuse by TI of its dominant position in the fixed line market between 2009 and 2011. Rival telcos Wind and FastWeb complained that the incumbent had limited wholesale and retail access to its fixed networks by obstructing ‘the expansion of market competitors into voice telephone services and access to internet and broadband’. The Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore says the ruling could open the way for TI’s rivals to pursue civil claims for damages.