The knives seem to be out for Telecom Italia, as the country’s antitrust authority begins investigating claims the incumbent is stifling competition by refusing some requests for local loop unbundling.
Rival operators Fastweb and Wind complained that the incumbent is stalling or just plain refusing to connect new customers, and is offering massive discounts to business users to ensure it wins their contracts, WSJ.com reports.
Telecom Italia immediately dismissed the claims, stating it was confident it has stuck by the country’s competition rules, WSJ said.
The investigation is the second in as many months, after competition authorities began probing Fastweb’s complaint that the incumbent had an unfair advantage in bidding for two key fixed-line contracts in May.