Swisscom unit Fastweb appealed against a clause forbidding companies pre-qualifying for the tenders on their own from teaming up with other players further down the line.
According to court documents seen by Reuters, Fastweb had sought a suspension of the tenders ahead of a court decision which was due to go through on 14 December.
It is part of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s plans to place the project to connect homes to superfast internet as a key part of his agenda. He is seeking to use this to close the digital gap between Italy and the rest of Europe to boost economic growth in the country.
The government has earmarked €4 billion to launch highs-speed fibre networks in less economically viable areas in order to achieve its. It has drawn up tenders to choose operators.
It follows a recent fibre rollout from Enel and Metroweb to the cities of Padua and Caligiari, offering speeds of up to 1 Gbps.
