TIM Launches HSPA

2:20 PM -- Telecom Italia Mobile SpA (Milan: TIM) has bundles of mobile broadband news this week. The Italian operator just launched HSPA services with downlink speeds up to 7.2 Mbit/s and introduced a new time-based mobile Internet tariff. For €10 ($14) users get 10 hours of mobile Web surfing per month, or 100 hours per month for €20 ($28). The monthly tariff includes the USB modem or PC card.

The Italian operator also added another converged service to its mix, called TIM Casa, in response to Vodafone Italy 's Casa service. This is a "home zone" service, which allows a subscriber's fixed-line calls to be directed to their mobile number and mobile calls are charged at fixed-line rates when subscribers make calls from their designated home zone. (See Italian FMC Face-Off and FMC Fusilli.)

— Michelle Donegan, European Editor, Unstrung