Eurobites: Italian government could take 20% stake in TIM deal

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Telia appoints new CFO; roaming is go in Senegal; Lyca Mobile remains friends with the Hammers.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

August 11, 2023

2 Min Read
Eurobites: Italian government could take 20% stake in TIM deal
(Source: Arcansel/Alamy Stock Photo)

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Telia appoints new CFO; roaming is go in Senegal; Lyca Mobile remains friends with the Hammers.

The Italian government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with private equity firm KKR which could see the government take a stake of up to 20% in what is currently Telecom Italia's wireline grid. As Reuters reports, KKR is in talks with Telecom Italia over the acquisition of its fixed network infrastructure – dubbed NetCo – and has until the end of September to submit a binding offer. The government of Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has previously indicated it wants to retain a public ownership element of the wireline infrastructure. (See TIM starts exclusive talks with KKR over fixed assets and Telecom Italia is how other telcos fear they may one day look.)

  • Telia has appointed former KPN Belgium boss Eric Hageman as its new group chief financial officer, replacing Per Christian Mørland, who is leaving the company at the end of September. Tim Pennington, who was previously appointed interim CFO, will revert to what the company calls an "advisory position" within the company. Telia could be in for a spot of turbulence generally in the coming months as its current CEO, Allison Kirkby, is off to head up BT at the start of next year, replacing Philip Jansen in the hotseat. (See BT plays it safe with naming of Allison Kirkby as next CEO.)

  • Senegal's communications regulator has welcomed the introduction of roaming arrangements between the West African nation's three major operators, namely Sonatel, Free Senegal and Expresso Senegal. Initial roaming trials carried out in the Diourbel region saw a 100% success rate for the transfer of calls and SMS between networks, though the regulator admitted that some technical issues relating to mobile data traffic have yet to be resolved.

  • Lyca Mobile, which describes itself as the world's largest mobile virtual network operator, has signed a multi-year extension to its existing, decade-long sponsorship deal with English top-flight soccer club West Ham United. Earlier this summer, West Ham won the UEFA Europa Conference League, the club's first piece of major(ish) silverware for more than 40 years.

    — Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

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About the Author

Paul Rainford

Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

Paul is based on the Isle of Wight, a rocky outcrop off the English coast that is home only to a colony of technology journalists and several thousand puffins.

He has worked as a writer and copy editor since the age of William Caxton, covering the design industry, D-list celebs, tourism and much, much more.

During the noughties Paul took time out from his page proofs and marker pens to run a small hotel with his other half in the wilds of Exmoor. There he developed a range of skills including carrying cooked breakfasts, lying to unwanted guests and stopping leaks with old towels.

Now back, slightly befuddled, in the world of online journalism, Paul is thoroughly engaged with the modern world, regularly firing up his VHS video recorder and accidentally sending text messages to strangers using a chipped Nokia feature phone.

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