Fastweb exploring deal for Vodafone’s Italian operations - report

Italian telecom operator Fastweb is reportedly exploring a potential deal for Vodafone’s local operations.

Bloomberg cited people with knowledge of the matter as saying that Fastweb - which is owned by Swisscom - is among suitors that have been studying a potential combination with Vodafone Italy.

Vodafone has also continued to hold on-and-off discussions in recent months with French billionaire Xavier Niel’s Iliad SA about a potential merger of their Italian businesses, according to Bloomberg sources, though there is no certainty that Vodafone will decide to proceed with any transaction.

Vodafone rejected an €11.25bn bid for its Italian unit from an Iliad-backed consortium last year, saying the offer wasn’t in shareholders’ best interests.