Italy's INWIT cuts 2026 outlook as rival tower plan threatens market position

Swisscom AG

20/03/2026 24:37

March 19 (Reuters) - INWIT INWT.MI on Thursday lowered its 2026 and medium-term outlook after Telecom Italia TLIT.MI and Swisscom's SCMN.S Fastweb said they will build up to 6,000 telecom towers across Italy, a potential blow for the country's largest mobile telecoms towers company.

The company expects 2026 revenue to come in the range of 1.05 billion euros ($1.22 billion) to 1.09 billion euros ($1.26 billion), and projects 2026 EBITDA margin of 90%.

INWIT said it views the proposed joint venture between Telecom Italia and Fastweb as being in conflict with the Master Service Agreement (MSA) it signed with the company in 2020.

"In INWIT's view, the stance taken by TIM and Fastweb aims to obtain an unbalanced and unjustified revision of the original terms of the two MSAs, signed in 2020," the company said.

The Italian company said any attempt to undermine its contractual position as the preferred supplier for TIM and Fastweb must be considered instrumental and INWIT will take all necessary legal steps to protect its rights.

INWIT shares slid 22% earlier in the day after Telecom Italia and Fastweb announced their joint venture.

The JV plan is a potential blow to INWIT because TIM and Fastweb are its biggest tenants, and their move threatens its future growth and leverage in contract talks, analysts said.

($1 = 0.8641 euros)

 (Reporting by Natalia Bueno Rebolledo in Mexico City and Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

 ((natalia.bueno@thomsonreuters.com))