Sky debuts fibre broadband in Italy, no plans to launch MVNO or acquire Fastweb

Italian pay-TV operator Sky has launched fixed broadband services as it looks to bolster its portfolio to allow it to compete with rivals such as Telecom Italia (TIM), Wind Tre and Vodafone. The head of Sky Italia, Maximo Ibarro, is quoted by Reuters as saying: ‘We’re interested in becoming the main player in people’s living rooms and the rest of their homes.’ He added that Sky has invested EUR230 million (USD261 million) to launch its broadband service in Italy via a partnership with wholesale network operator Open Fiber and ISP Fastweb. Services will be launched in 26 cities this month and will be extended to 120 locations during the summer. Sky, which is owned by US firm Comcast, has said it has no plans to add mobile services to its portfolio via an MVNO arrangement, while it also denied speculation that it could be looking to acquire Fastweb from current owner Swisscom.