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The acquisition was first announced back in March
Swisscom has officially received the green light for its acquisition of Vodafone Italia, following approval from both the Italian Competition Authority and the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT). With regulatory hurdles cleared, Swisscom is now set to complete the deal by the first quarter of 2025.
Last week, the Italian Competition Authority approved the transaction, accepting a series of behavioural commitments proposed by Swisscom. These include continuing to provide wholesale services to interested operators in line with Fastweb’s current practices, as well as sharing relevant information in any public tenders where Fastweb or Vodafone Italia is the supplier. An independent trustee will oversee the implementation of these commitments for the next three years.
MIMIT granted unconditional approval for the deal on 19 December 2024, confirming the change of control over Vodafone Italia’s spectrum licenses. This followed positive assessments from the Italian Authority for Communications and the Italian Competition Authority.
The merger of Fastweb and Vodafone Italia is expected to deliver substantial benefits to Italian consumers and businesses by combining their strong fixed and mobile infrastructures and expanding their range of services. The merger will create Italy’s second-largest fixed-line broadband operator behind Telecom Italia (TIM). This, they said, will create around €600 million in savings through increased scale and a more efficient cost structure. As part of the transaction, Vodafone will provide some service to Swisscom for the next five years.
With regulatory approvals now in place, Swisscom anticipates that the acquisition will be finalised in early 2025, marking a new phase for the company in the Italian telecom market.
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