Italian cellco Iliad is reportedly close to signing a deal with wholesale network operator Open Fiber which will enable it to launch fixed line services. Reuters cites an unnamed source as saying: ‘Open Fiber and Iliad have been talking for several months and an agreement now looks close.’ Iliad launched as Italy’s fourth mobile network operator (MNO) in mid-2018 and has previously said that it would be looking to launch fixed services by 2024. TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database notes that Iliad had 5.8 million mobile subscribers at the end of March 2020.
Meanwhile, Italian pay-TV provider Sky is also thought to be near to launching a fixed broadband offer, having signed wholesale deals with Open Fiber and Fastweb in April 2018 and December 2019, respectively.