Italian mobile operator Wind Tre and fibre company Fastweb agreed to combine respective assets to accelerate deployment of 5G and expand the scope of their offering to customers.

Under the deal, a shared radio access and backhaul network will be created to support 5G services sold by both Wind Tre and Fastweb. Macro and small cells owned by both companies will be connected through Fastweb dark fibre to support 5G services, the partners said.

CK Hutchison-owned Wind Tre will manage the new network which, by 2026, is expected to cover 90 per cent of Italy’s population.

As part of the agreement, Swisscom-owned Fastweb will gain access to Wind Tre’s existing mobile network infrastructure. In turn, Fastweb will give Wind Tre wholesale access to its fixed assets.

Although primarily a fixed provider, Fastweb already runs an MVNO in Italy and is focused on moving users to converged services.

The deal is subject to approvals from regulators and has an initial duration of 10 years.

Wind Tre’s move follows a 5G network sharing deal signed by rivals Telecom Italia and Vodafone Italy in February, as operators attempt to speed-up deployment and cut the cost of network buildout after spending €6.5 billion in Italy’s spectrum auction.