Telecoms: Italy

The National Regulatory Authority (AGCOM) in March 2006 set the basic rules regarding VoIP services. Besides other very important rules (like banning portable geographical number), it also mandates full interconnections among VoIP operators to be deployed at IP level (and not at #7 signalling level).

The NRA gave 120 days to operators to come up with a technical proposal in order to comply with the IP interconnection rule.

The Ministry of Communications has started the procedure to assign numbers for the nomadic VoIP service (55xxxxxxxxx) as planned by the new VoIP rules.
Every operators can currently ask for up to 50 blocks of 1.000 numbers each.
Each block costs €11,10.
Numbers will be assigned on a first-come first-served basis.

While some mobile network operators in the world apparently try to block IP traffic, here in Italy 3 has taken the opposite approach. It signed a co-operation agreement with Skype in order to promote VoIP technology, both on fixed networks and on mobile networks.

3 started promoting some bundles that include also Skype products and services and more are planned in the next few months. One of the first examples of this product offering is a bundle targeted to SoHo/SME customers that includes a UMTS PC Card, a notebook computer supplied by Toshiba, Skype software and a Skype headset.

Elitel today announced the availability of a converged fixed-mobile service targeted to its business customers.
Thanks to a dual-mode Wi-Fi/GSM handset supplied by Qtek, Elitel is offering the converged option to its business VoIP customers.
A similar converged offer targeted to business customers has been recently announced also by BT Albacom.
However, for both solutions the fixed and mobile bills will be kept separated, because none of the fixed line operators can act as mobile virtual network operator yet.

Parla.it decided to abandon the H.323 protocol favouring SIP for its VoIP services.

The VoIPex consortium, supported by many institutions and several telecom operators and equipment vendors is pushing hard in order to run and to certify interoperability tests for VoIP applications.

Just a few days after abandoning its convergent strategy, Telecom Italia finally launched its long delayed Unico Wi-Fi/GSM service. Actually, Telecom Italia changed the name (and gender in the Italian language) from Unico to Unica.

Pirelli Broadband Solutions is supplying dual-mode GSM/Wi-Fi handsets to German operator Arcor (part of Vodafone group) and French operator Free (part of Iliad group).

The Italian subsidiary of Skype is recruiting new people and is expected to launch the SkypeIn service using nomadic numbering according to the new VoIP regulation.

After having recently disposed also of its Dutch operation, Tiscali announced a new three-year plan (2007- 2010) focusing on Italy and the UK only.
According to an official statement of the Board of Directors,

Tiscali will transition from Isp to full-service provider, delivering telecommunication and media integrated services to the end customer (with the relevant expansion on the physical access, voice and Iptv markets), through a full network and service IP model combining product innovation and marketing aggressiveness.

The Milan Internet eXchange (MIX), the primary Internet exchange point in Italy, has opened a new VoIP service to facilitate inter-carrier VoIP peering and interconnection.

Pirelli Broadband Solutions, will launch its new range of dual-mode GSM-WiFi handsets at the C5 World Forum next week.

The National Regulatory Authority is expected today to release new rules concerning the fixed-mobile convergent services that has been formerly blocked by harsh litigation between Telecom Italia and Vodafone.

TI Sparkle expanded its international VoIP services portfolio with Acme Packet Net-Net session border controllers.

Alcatel-Lucent has been selected by ICE - Italian Trade Commission (Istituto nazionale per il Commercio Estero), to deploy an international VoIP network connecting more than 80 sites worldwide.

Seltatel is the new technological partner of Telefonica through the services and telecommunication technologies IP-based offer for small and medium Spanish enterprises.