Vodafone Italia and TI square up for a fight

Vodafone’s Italian arm is suing Italy’s largest telecoms firm, Telecom Italia (TI) for allegedly stalling negotiations on an innovative new fixed-line offer.

Vodafone Italia said in a statement that TI had ceased negotiations to open up its fixed-line network which Vodafone needs to provide its customers with a new service.

Vodafone’s new service allows customers to use their landline numbers on their mobiles without having to pay TI’s fixed-line charges. It allows customers to receive calls made to a given fixed-line number on their mobile. The caller pays the normal land-line rates but the call can be answered free of charge by the person receiving it.

The firm says Telecom Italia is breaking the rules by halting the negotiations. Vodafone said it will seek “damages caused by the anti-competitive behavior”.

Vodafone is looking to roll out the new service at the start of next year and is anxious to resolve the dispute because of a scheduled marketing campaign around a post-Christmas launch.