MILAN (Dow Jones) Telecom Italia said Monday it has signed an agreement with Vodafone Group's Italian unit to share existing and future mobile network access sites.
Telecom Italia said the six-year deal -- which renews and broadens an earlier one -- concerns the poles, cables, electrical and air-conditioning fixtures as well as other civil-engineering infrastructure of the sites.
"While maintaining ownership of their own infrastructure, each operator will host the other on radio-mobile stations across the country," to improve mobile network coverage, Telecom Italia said.
The deal does not include the electronic devices and relative management services used to deliver mobile services to customers, the company said.
Stefano Pileri, Telecom Italia's managing director for technology, said the deal will significantly reduce the cost of renting sites, one of the main expenses in mobile networks.
The deal can be renewed and is open to third parties, the company said.
-By Giada Zampano, Dow Jones Newswires; 39-02-5821 9907; giada.zampano@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones NewswiresÂ
Posted to the site on 12th November 2007
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