TIM edges closer to Sparkle sale

An acquisition of Telecom Italia wholesale unit Sparkle by Italy’s finance ministry and infrastructure specialist Retelit was cleared by the European Commission’s competition authority. The deal was signed in April 2025 following lengthy negotiations , and will see the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance and Retelit take joint control of the wholesale provider. It values Sparkle at €700 million. Approving the sale, the EC noted it would “not raise competition concerns, given its limited impact on competition in the markets where the companies are active,” adding the transaction largely concerned cable landing stations, submarine cables and related infrastructure. In these sectors, it noted, where the organisations involved “horizontally overlap, the combined market shares of the parties would remain moderate and there would remain several viable alternative providers on the market”. It also noted under new ownership the larger “entity would not have the ability or the incentive to foreclose rival providers of backhaul activities”. TIM had originally earmarked Q4 2025 for deal completion, though in its annual report published in March 2026 it estimated closure in H1 2026. In that annual review, TIM CEO Pietro Labriola stated should the deal be completed the company expected to be able to “consider a return to shareholder remuneration through a share buyback program of up to €400 million”. The post TIM edges closer to Sparkle sale appeared first on Mobile World Live .