Italy Regulator Clears T.Italia, Vodafone Fixed/Mobile Offers"
MILAN -(Dow Jones)- The Italian telecoms regulator AGCOM has approved Thursday the launch of Telecom Italia and Vodafone Group's integrated fixed and mobile services.
AGCOM had barred Telecom Italia and Vodafone from offering their respective fixed-mobile convergence products in the Italian market in 2006.
The regulator blocked Telecom Italia's attempt to launch its "Unico" service due to the lack of a wholesale equivalent to the product.
However, AGCOM eventually allowed 15,000 experimental connections for the service.
Similarly, Vodafone's "Casa Numero Fisso" was blocked by both AGCOM and an Italian court following complaints about anticompetitive practices by Telecom Italia.
The new services, which will allow customers to use just one phone for their landline and mobile calls, has been the subject of a long legal battle between the two companies.
The offers got final approval from Italy's regulator after they were cleared by the Italian antitrust watchdog and the European Commission. In a statement, AGCOM said Thursday it has set the conditions under which the two competing operators will have to run to the new integrated services. The regulator also imposed necessary measures to safeguard customers, including full information on the prices of the new offers.
-By Giada Zampano, Dow Jones Newswires; +39 02 5821 9907; giada.zampano@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires "
Posted to the site on 2nd August 2007
