INWIT and Fastweb Face Court Over Telecom Tower Contract Dispute in Milan
By Elvira Pollina
Legal Battle Over Telecom Tower Lease Contract
MILAN, May 12 (Reuters) - A Milan judge has asked for more documents before deciding on a request by Italy’s top telecoms tower firm INWIT to suspend telecoms operator Fastweb’s exit from its contract with the mast company, two legal sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
Background of the INWIT-Fastweb Dispute
INWIT and its customer Fastweb, the Italian arm of Swisscom, are locked in a dispute over a lease contract that accounts for nearly 40% of INWIT’s 1 billion‑euro annual revenue and which Fastweb sought to renegotiate on cheaper terms.
Fastweb’s Contract Termination
Fastweb, which inherited the tower agreement from the 8 billion euro buyout of Vodafone's Italian operations in 2025, terminated its long-term contract with INWIT in March, a move that the tower company considers illegitimate.
Court Proceedings and Documentation Requests
At a closed-door court hearing held in Milan on Tuesday, a judge told parties to provide additional documentation, the two legal sources said, declining to be named because deliberations are not public.
The judge told INWIT to provide the additional documents by June 1, while setting a June 22 deadline for Fastweb, one of the sources said.
Fastweb and INWIT declined to comment.
Contractual Interpretations and Disputes
INWIT’s Position on Contract Extension
INWIT previously said that following a change of control resulting from a shareholder reshuffle in 2022, the contract was extended until 2038 with no break option, an interpretation disputed by Fastweb.
Fastweb’s View on Contract Duration
According to Fastweb's view, the current agreements could end in 2028, giving the company the right to issue a withdrawal notice two years earlier.
Broader Industry Implications
Telecom Italia’s Similar Actions
Telecom Italia (TIM), INWIT’s other main customer, also terminated its contract with INWIT, mirroring Fastweb’s move a few days later and adding pressure on the tower company, which was spun off from TIM in 2015 and later merged in 2019 with Vodafone’s Italian tower operations.
5G Infrastructure Partnership
Joint Rollout and Contract Breach Allegations
Earlier this year TIM and Fastweb also partnered to jointly roll out part of their 5G infrastructure and to build together up to 6,000 towers in Italy, a move that INWIT said was in breach of the existing contracts.
(Reporting by Elvira PollinaEditing by Keith Weir)
