Wind Tre debuts in Italy

The merged Italian operation of VimpelCom and CK Hutchison has begun offering services under the combined ‘Wind Tre’ brand. The firm, which unites the businesses of Wind Telecomunicazioni and 3 Italia, has taken first spot in the country’s mobile market, with around 31 million users, just ahead of Telecom Italia (TIM) and Vodafone, while it also serves 2.7 million fixed line customers. Wind Tre says it has plans to invest EUR7 billion (USD7.4 billion) in its operations over the next few years. As part of the merger deal, Wind and 3 agreed to sell certain spectrum and network assets to the French firm Iliad, allowing it to set up a new mobile network operator (MNO) in Italy and easing EU competition concerns.