According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, The Blackstone Group is interested in acquiring Telecom Italia, said Tony James, the chairman of the group, which is the world's largest PE firm. "If the shareholders are willing to sell we would be interested," in the carrier, James told reporters at a PE conference in Rome. "We would even consider a minority stake." James on the carrier's mobile group: "I think it's an excellent company with a strong market position." Telecom Italia's new chairman, Guido Rossi, is currently working on the convergence of fixed line, media and mobile-phone services.

For more on Blackstone's remarks about Telecom Italia:
- take a look at this article from the WSJ (sub. req.)