- Tech News & Insight
- April 14, 2026
- Hema Kadia
European regulators have cleared the path for Telecom Italia (TIM) to offload its global wholesale arm, Sparkle, advancing a restructuring with implications for sovereignty, subsea capacity, and wholesale competition. The European Commission has approved the acquisition of Sparkle by Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and infrastructure provider Retelit, valuing the asset at €700 million and granting joint control to the two buyers. TIM had initially targeted closing in late 2025, but now guides to completion in the first half of 2026. Brussels found the deal would not materially distort competition in the relevant wholesale markets.



