Report: Sky plans high-speed Italian broadband service

Sky is reportedly planning to offer a high-speed broadband service in Italy in a bid to compete with the likes of Telecom Italia.

According to Bloomberg, the pay TV operator is in partnership talks with network operator Open Fiber about launching the service, which would let Sky offer multi-play TV, broadband and phone offerings in Italy as it does in the UK.

The report, which cites people familiar with the matter, said that a deal between Sky and Open Fiber could be reached in October, allowing Sky to launch its broadband offering as early as the first quarter of 2018.

The news comes a week after Sky confirmed it plans to launch a “simple and affordable” over-the-top service in Spain, called Sky España, marking the pay TV operator’s first steps into the Spanish market.

Sky also said in its latest quarterly results last week that it plans to roll out Sky Q to Italy, Germany and Austria while also launching Sky Q without the need for a satellite dish.

The company first revealed in January that is plans to offer internet-delivered versions of its TV service in Italy and Germany, after it debuts a satellite-free service in the UK for the first time in 2018.