Antitrust accepts TIM, Fastweb vows (3)

(ANSA) - Rome, April 9 - Italy's antitrust authority on Monday accepted and made obligatory vows from telecoms companies TIM and Fastweb on a co-investment deal to build an FTTH fibre-optic network covering 29 major Italian cities via the joint company Flash Fiber, the authority said in a statement.
    In February last year the anti-trust authority opened proceedings against TIM (formerly Telecom Italia) and Fastweb for possible uncompetitive practices after they unveiled the fibre-optic joint venture called Flash Fiber. Antitrust agents searched offices of the two companies, helped by the antitrust unit of the Finance Guards tax police.
    Flash Fiber aims to build fibre-optic networks in Fiber To The Home (FTTH) architecture in Italy's 29 biggest cities.
    The antitrust said at the time that "the accord, while being promoted to the declared end of enabling a more efficient development of innovative technological infrastructure, may, at the same time, prove to be potentially prone towards preventing, restricting or falsifying in a major way competition on national markets for wholesale access to landlines and retail broadband and ultrawide band telecommunications services".
    Fastweb and Telecom Italia said they had done nothing wrong and would collaborate fully with authorities.
    Monday's anti-trust authority ruling has vindicated their pledges.