Telecom Italia plans to triple TIMvision base

Telecom Italia (TIM) expects the number of subscribers to its TIMVision on-demand service to triple by 2020, up from 1.3 million on its fixed network at the end of 2017.

Amos Genish

TIM set the objective as part of its 2020 strategic plan, approved this week by the company’s board.

TIM said that convergence and growing demand for content will help it increase its fixed broadband base from 1.8 million to over five million. TIM is also targeting an increase in LTE mobile penetration from 76% to over 95% of its mobile customers base.

TIM also foresees a doubling of its fixed-mobile convergent customer base.

“These targets will leverage entertainment content made available by important partnership agreements with national and international players, as well as original productions and co-productions,” the company said.

Separately, TIM’s board approved a plan to separate the company’s fixed-access network, with a new company taking responsibility for fixed-access services for all operators, including TIM. The board gave CEO Amos Genish the power to notify regulator AGCOM of the change.

Arnaud de Puyfontaine

The separation of the fixed network is being undertaken to assuage concerns about Vivendi’s controlling influence on TIM. The Italian government had earlier invoked its ‘golden power’ to intervene in cases where foreign ownership is seen to pose a risk to strategic national assets.

TIM’s statement on its 2020 plan made no reference to the aborted plan to create a joint-venture with Canal+ to acquire and commission content to be distributed over TIM’s network, which was seen as a key building block of Vivendi’s attempt to strike a compromise with Mediaset, with which it is engaged in a legal battle over its decision not to honour a 2016 agreement to take over the broadcaster’s pay TV arm.

In an interview with Italy’s Il Messagero, Vivendi and TIM president Arnaud de Puyfontaine said that a compromise between the pair would still be useful.

De Puyfontaine also told Il Messagero that TIM was continuing to have a constructive dialogue with officials over the separation of the fixed network.