network transfer This will give Tim more freedom and agility, Consumers are likely to experience a positive impact in the coming months. Tim will have the opportunity to propose a limited number of offers before regulatory hurdles that culminate with the sale of the network.
In the note dated November 5, announcing the approval of the sale of the network to KKR by the board of directors, it is underlined that in addition to reducing debt and freeing up resources, TIM will benefit from the cutbacks to operate in the domestic market. Will get the opportunity. Some barrier regulators.
“I expect more freedom in the innovative structure of prices and offers. The new Tim will potentially be a more competitive company, Because it will be able to focus on offers to end customers, without particular regulatory barriers”, explains Cristoforo Morandini, historical telecommunications consultant in Italy.
What changes for customers and why
Francesco Sacco, economist at the University of Insubria and one of the architects of the first plan of ultra-broadband during the Monti government, shares the opinion on the sale of the network by Tim. Always a proponent of the benefits of network separation, Sacco says: “Tim will have more freedom of action in bundles, Particularly in providing fixed and mobile services within the same offer.”
Until now, this has been a difficult area for the company, which has avoided offering landline telephony offers with aggressive or particularly innovative fees. At present it is clear from the websites of the operators Tim’s prices on fiber are slightly higher than the offer More convenient offers than competing open fiber networks.
“In the past, the regulatory hurdle of replicating the proposal has limited Tim’s action. As a former monopolist with significant market power and owner of a national network used by all his competitors, Tim had to demonstrate that his offers to customers could be replicated by other operators,” explains Morandini.
An emblematic example of this situation occurred twenty years ago, when Tim introduced the first 20 megabit ADSL, Fastest internet service in Italy. However, the Communications Authority (Egcom) blocked this proposal because it could not be replicated by competitors on the Tim network.
In recent years, in some regions of Italy, such as Milan, the presence of various fixed networks has led the regulator to ease the restrictions imposed on TIM. Morandini points out that, however, the impact on offers was minimal, especially with regard to residential services, as it is difficult to sell commercial services differentiated on a geographical basis.
How will Tim’s prices change?
There will undoubtedly be an impact on network sales Positive impact on telecom company, but it is still too early to accurately assess how TIM prices will change. According to Morandini, however, there may be an alignment in the prices charged by competitors.
Possibility of network separation cannot be ruled out Renewing competition and competitiveness in the telecommunications sector, However it is difficult to predict any significant impact. Morandini points out that Italian rates are already the cheapest in Europe and have remained unchanged despite rising inflation rates.
A major hurdle in the price war could be the consolidation of several business units, a request that has long been made by European operators and which is likely to be supported by the sale of networks. From this perspective, it may also be the case that the liberation of the Internet may not have any significant impact on consumers, as Marco Pierani of Altroconsumo also fears.
Apart from the issue of pricing, it is reasonable to expect that freedom from constraints will allow TIM to propose new and more complete offers, including a set of mobile, fixed and television services, following the example of many of its already existing competitors. market.