Swisscom Expects Long Resolution to INWIT Tower Dispute Amid Vodafone Italia Merger
Swisscom's Tower Dispute and Vodafone Italia Integration
By Cian Muenster
Swisscom's Reliance on INWIT and Revenue Impact
May 7 (Reuters) - Telecoms company Swisscom said it could take around five years to end its reliance on Italian tower operator INWIT and reported a 4.5% fall in its first-quarter Italian revenue year-on-year.
Integration of Vodafone Italia
Meanwhile, it said it was working to speed up the integration of Vodafone Italia, which it acquired with effect from January last year.
Fastweb's Tower-Sharing Contract Challenges
Efforts have been complicated as Fastweb wants to exit its tower-sharing contract with Italian infrastructure company INWIT to migrate to a new arrangement with Telecom Italia, or TIM. INWIT says the contract runs until 2038 and said in March it planned legal action.
CEO's Statement on Migration Timeline
CEO Christoph Aeschlimann said on a conference call on Thursday that the migration away from INWIT would take about five years.
INWIT's Position and Migration Process
“INWIT has an interest to sustain revenues on their towers. So we do expect that we can accommodate the full duration of the migration with a good faith discussion of migrating those towers in due time, one by one,” he said.
Financial Impact and Future Cooperation
The group said in a statement that savings from the merger of its Italian unit Fastweb and Vodafone Italia reached 77 million euros ($90.65 million) in the first quarter of 2026, with a target of 300 million euros for the full year.
Plans for Mobile Network Development
The combined business will cooperate with Telecom Italia on mobile network development, complementing existing plans to develop and operate up to 6,000 mobile tower sites.
($1 = 0.8494 euros)
(Reporting by Cian Muenster; editing by Barbara Lewis)
