ROME- Italy needs to press ahead with its plans for a single fiber network, the Italian Minister for Technological Innovation Paola Pisano said on Tuesday.
Speaking on the sidelines of a conference, Pisano said the government would meet the companies involved in the project.
Phone incumbent Telecom Italia is negotiating with utility Enel and state lender CDP on ways to integrate its network with smaller rival Open Fiber to create a national fiber champion.
Last week the head of Enel, which jointly controls Open Fiber with CDP, said the group was in no hurry to sell its stake in the fast broadband infrastructure group.
Separately, asked about the idea of a digital tax, Pisano said it was logical that big platform operators returned part of their profits.
(Reporting by Elvira Pollina, writing by Stephen Jewkes) ((stephen.jewkes@thomsonreuters.com; +39.0266129695; Reuters Messaging: stephen.jewkes.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
