TIM S.p.A., (formerly known as Telecom Italia S.p.A.), is an Italian telecommunications company with headquarters in Rome, Milan, and Naples (with the Telecom Italia Tower), which provides fixed, public and mobile telephony, and DSL data services.[8][9]
It is the largest Italian telecommunications services provider in revenues and subscribers. It was founded in 1994 by the merger of several state-owned telecommunications companies, the most prominent of which was SIP, the former state monopoly telephone operator in Italy.[10][11][12]
The company's stock is traded in the Borsa Italiana. The Italian State has exercised the "Golden Power" on TIM since 2017, which allows the government to take a number of actions when the strategic interests of the country are concerned.
It has also a subsidiary in Brazil, known as TIM Brasil,[13] with 72.6 million customers.[14] The brand covers over 114 million customers worldwide.[15]
As April 2024, Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: Italy (72.9%) and Brazil (27.1%).
History
Origins
In 1925, the Italian phone network was reorganised by the Benito Mussolini cabinet and the company STIPEL was established in the same year. The original core of Telecom Italia included four companies which operated in a specific geographical area:[16] TIMO, TE.TI., TELVE and SET.
In 1964, Società Idroelettrica Piemontese (SIP), a former energy company founded in 1918, ceased producing energy and acquired all of the Italian telephone companies, becoming Società Italiana per l'Esercizio Telefonico. It was run by the Italian Ministry of Finance. SIP was a state monopoly from 1964 to 1996 and Italian people had to pay the "Canone Telecom" (a line rental charge) in order to have a phone at home.
1994–2005: Telecom Italia, Telecom Italia Mobile and DSL services
The first appearance in the Italian mobile telephony market dates back to 1990 with the launch of the
Main shareholders
The main shareholders of TIM Group as of 21 January 2026 are:[96]
Controversy
Fraud in Brazilian prepaid mobile lines
On 8 August 2012, TIM Brasil became involved in a massive scandal in Brazilian news after the release of report by the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency Anatel.[97]
The report points that on TIM's prepaid voice plan (24.7% market share), called "Infinity" (in which the user pays roughly US$0.12 for each unlimited time call), the calls were intentionally dropped by the company, forcing the customers to make (and pay for) new calls to keep talking. In just one day, 8.1 million calls were dropped and the total profit was approximately $2 million. Upon release of the report, the Public Ministry of the Paraná State filed a lawsuit against TIM asking that it stop selling new mobile lines in Brasil and pay a multimillion-dollar fine for the damages against consumers.[98]
In 2013, TIM was accused by consumers of unfair practices, such as charging €4 with a particular New Flat Day Free tariff.[99]
Operations
The Telecom Italia Group provides phone landline services and mobile services in Italy, GSM mobile phone services in Italy and Brazil through its TIM and TIM Brasil subsidiaries, and DSL Internet and telephony services in Italy and San Marino (through Telecom Italia San Marino). It also operates in international telecommunications services for other operators and corporations, through its subsidiary Telecom Italia Sparkle. In 2013, the total amount of the company's debt was about 26 billion €.[100] Telecom Italia has 66,025 employees.
Telecom Italia also controls Olivetti, a manufacturer of computer peripherals and mobile phones. On 31 March 2014, Telecom Italia led both the direct fixed access lines market with a 62% share, and the mobile postpaid segment with a 45% market share. In the mobile "prepaid" segment Telecom Italia owned a 31.5% market share together with Vodafone.[101]
Environmental practices and initiatives
In 2002, Telecom Italia subscribed to the United Nations corporate responsibility initiative Global Compact.[114] It is also member of a number of stock market indexes which include companies focused on corporate social responsibility, including the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes and those administered by FTSE Group's FTSE4Good. Its part-owned Brazilian subsidiary, TIM Brasil, is listed in the Bovespa's ISE (Índice de Sustentabilidade Empresarial) index.[115]
Telecom Italia promotes a sustainability strategy including both environmental and social issues: in June 2014 it signed an agreement with A2A to buy energy only from renewable sources.[116]
Logo history
Telecom Italia
TIM
See also
- List of mobile network operators in Italy
- Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane
- STET – Società Finanziaria Telefonica
- Telecom Italia San Marino
- Telecom Italia Tower (Naples)
- TIM Brasil
- TIMvision
External links
References
- Alberta Figari è Presidente del Consiglio di Amministrazione TIM, del Comitato Sostenibilità e della Fondazione TIM Gruppo TIM, 2025-10-29, retrieved 2026-03-02^
- Telecom Italia www.gruppotim.it/en, retrieved 11 December 2025^
- 99.9999% owned indirectly through Telecom Italia Finance^