Italian minister says majority shareholder cannot control broadband operator

ROME: Italy’s single broadband network operator cannot be controlled by a majority shareholder, the deputy industry minister said on Friday, after Telecom Italia (TIM) said it would not accept less than 50% of any network.

The Italian government is trying to negotiate a deal between the phone group and Open Fiber, jointly owned by state lender CDP and utility Enel, to merge fibre assets and create a single national champion.

But progress has been delayed as it seeks solutions to governance and regulation issues.