Swisscom says Italian tower dispute could take years to resolve

Thursday 07 May 2026 - 12:00

Swiss telecom group Swisscom has warned that its dispute over mobile tower infrastructure in Italy could take up to five years to fully resolve, highlighting ongoing challenges in the country’s highly competitive telecom market.

The company is seeking to reduce its dependence on Italian tower operator INWIT, as part of a broader restructuring linked to its integration of Vodafone Italia, which it acquired earlier. Swisscom aims to shift its network operations toward alternative arrangements, including cooperation with Telecom Italia (TIM).

However, INWIT has stated that existing contracts remain valid until 2038 and has indicated it may pursue legal action to enforce its rights. The disagreement reflects broader tensions in Italy’s telecommunications infrastructure sector, where long-term contracts and shared networks play a central role.

Swisscom’s CEO, Christoph Aeschlimann, said the transition away from INWIT would be gradual and could take around five years. He emphasized that negotiations would need to be conducted in good faith and on a step-by-step basis as individual tower sites are migrated.

Despite these challenges, Swisscom reported cost savings of 77 million euros in the first quarter of 2026 following the integration of Fastweb and Vodafone Italia, with full-year savings expected to reach 300 million euros.

The company also plans to expand cooperation with Telecom Italia on mobile network development, as part of efforts to strengthen its position in the Italian market and improve operational efficiency through shared infrastructure and long-term investment in up to 6,000 mobile tower sites.

Industry analysts note that consolidation and infrastructure sharing are becoming increasingly important in the European telecom sector, as operators seek to reduce costs and improve network performance in a highly competitive environment.