Poste Italiane bids €10.8B for TIM in Italy

Poste Italiane launched a €10.8 billion bid to acquire Telecom Italia (TIM) in a voluntary public tender offer, according to Mobile World Live's Friday File roundup. The offer combines cash and newly issued shares, values TIM at just over €0.63 per share, and represents a 9% premium to TIM's closing price on 20 March.

Poste Italiane was TIM's largest shareholder with a 27% stake as of December 2025. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval, and Poste Italiane said it is targeting completion by the end of 2026. Gary Bohmer of Tel-consult said the move is unusual because PosteMobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO, a provider that sells mobile service using another operator's network) acquiring its host mobile network operator (MNO, a carrier that owns and operates mobile network infrastructure). Bohmer said PosteMobile has 5 million customers, about one-third of MVNO SIMs in Italy and roughly 5% to 6% of the overall mobile SIM market.

The proposed deal would combine Poste Italiane's distribution network with TIM's fixed and mobile networks, along with TIM's cloud and data centre assets. The transaction stands out in the Italian telecom market because it would place a large MVNO operation and a national incumbent operator under the same ownership, pending approval. The same Friday File roundup also covered OpenAI ending Sora and terminating its Disney agreement, and SpaceX disputing Blue Origin's orbital data centre filing with the US Federal Communications Commission.