en.Wedoany.com Reported - Italian Democratic Party Senator Antonio Nicita, together with his colleague Antonio Misiani, has co-signed a letter to Minister of Business and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso and Minister of Economy and Finance Giancarlo Giorgetti, raising questions regarding the increase in FiberCop access prices and the stalled progress on creating a single fixed network. Nicita stated that since the current government took office, no action has been taken to promote the integration of FiberCop and Open Fiber, marking one of its major failures in the digital sector and in the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
FiberCop is controlled by the US fund KKR (holding 37.8% of shares), with the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance holding a 16% stake. On April 28, 2026, following the expansion of fixed network market deregulation under AGCOM Resolution No. 114/24/CONS, FiberCop released a new price list. According to purchasing operators, access prices for both copper and fiber optic networks have increased significantly. Nicita pointed out that the Italian telecommunications market is already one of the most competitive in Europe, with operators operating on thin profit margins. Competition between two operators in the wholesale market has led to higher access prices, while the lack of horizontal integration (the network company planned by the government has yet to materialize) raises concerns about the long-term sustainability of the entities involved.
The inquiry also addresses the issue of copper network decommissioning. The European Commission, in its draft Digital Networks Act, has set the deadline for copper network decommissioning at 2035. Nicita and Misiani asked the government whether it is aware of the impact of price increases on operator costs and final consumer prices; what mechanisms the Minister of Business and Made in Italy plans to introduce to incentivize migration to Very High Capacity Networks (VHCN, i.e., fiber-to-the-home), such as whether voucher schemes would target operators or consumers; and how the Minister of Economy and Finance, as a shareholder in FiberCop, will facilitate the creation of a single national fixed network infrastructure with Open Fiber (60% owned by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti CDP, which is under the control of the Ministry of Economy and Finance), in order to enhance industry efficiency and the value of the national strategic asset.
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