FMC Fusilli

11:50 AM -- Italian regulator AGCOM approved the fixed/mobile convergence (FMC) offers of Telecom Italia (TIM) and Vodafone Italy late last week, finally ending a tit-for-tat spat between the two competitors that has delayed the introduction of these services in Italy.

An English version of the AGCOM decision is not available. But if you put the Italian statement into AltaVista's Babel Fish translation tool, the regulator has just approved "services of communication integrated fixed piece of furniture."

Last year, the regulator blocked the fixed/mobile convergence (FMC) services because both operators complained about the other's offerings and competitive practices.

Now, the regulator has set conditions on how these services can be offered, stressing that full disclosure of prices will be necessary.

That means Telecom Italia's Unico service, based on unlicensed mobile access (UMA), has a green light. And the Vodafone Casa home zone service also gets a go-ahead. (See Deutsche Telekom Cancels FMC Service and Orange Doubles FMC Customers.)

Orange France is the only operator that has had some success with UMA-based FMC services so far. (See TeliaSonera Picks Moto, Gateway Key to BT's Fusion Flop, FT vs BT on FMC, BT's Flat Fusion , and T-Mobile Launches UMA in USA.)

— Michelle Donegan, Furniture Editor, Light Reading