Italian ISP Fastweb has agreed to acquire the 3.5GHz TD-LTE fixed-wireless business of domestic rival Tiscali for approximately EUR150 million (USD175 million). Under the deal, Tiscali will get full access to Fastweb’s fibre-based wireline broadband network and will continue to market fixed-wireless services to its customers on TD-LTE infrastructure thanks to a wholesale agreement with Fastweb.
Swisscom subsidiary Fastweb is acquiring Tiscali’s 3.5GHz spectrum licence, which includes 40MHz of frequencies, while it also inherits a network of 836 towers. The EUR150 million deal includes a EUR100 million cash payment split between 2018 and 2019, EUR40 million of wholesale fees over four-to-five years, and the payment of EUR10 million of debt to suppliers. In December 2016 Fastweb acquired Tiscali’s enterprise business unit in a EUR45 million transaction.