Fastweb and Vodafone on Wednesday confirmed they have filed notice to terminate the Master Service Agreement (MSA) that governs their use of Inwit (BIT:INWIT) tower infrastructure. The tenants say the contract will formally end in March 2028 and have begun legal proceedings to vindicate their right to end the relationship.
The action follows public statements from Inwit asserting that the same agreement remains in force until August 2038. Fastweb and Vodafone contend that they are entitled to terminate earlier and have initiated court action to have that position recognized.
In announcing the notice and legal measures, the two companies said the decision reflects their view that Inwit is charging above-market prices for tower services and has refused to engage in formal negotiations to resolve the dispute. Those pricing and negotiation concerns, they added, undermine their ability to make investments in network infrastructure.
Fastweb and Vodafone said they will begin talks with Inwit to agree a migration plan that preserves operational continuity through and beyond the planned March 2028 end date. That migration work, they said, is expected to include agreements with third-party passive infrastructure providers as well as initiatives undertaken in cooperation with Fastweb and Vodafone.
The tenants framed the termination as a way to progressively redirect financial resources toward building new infrastructure, improving network quality and coverage, and accelerating 5G rollout. They asserted that Inwit above-market pricing constrains their ability to invest in maintaining high-quality mobile networks and to support Italy digitalisation.
The move follows developments from last week and represents the start of what the companies warned could become an extended legal dispute between the tower operator and its tenants. Inwit shares are trading at 26.89.
What this means
- Fastweb and Vodafone have formally notified termination of the MSA with Inwit and have filed legal action to enforce that termination.
- The companies plan to negotiate migration arrangements with Inwit and third-party passive infrastructure providers to maintain service continuity past March 2028.
- The tenants say exiting the agreement will allow them to reallocate funds to network improvements and faster 5G deployment.