Telecom Italia Board Is Said to Consider M&A Options Soon

Telecom Italia SpA’s board plans to evaluate measures at a meeting next week to bolster the company’s mobile-phone business, including potential mergers and acquisitions, said two people with knowledge of the matter.

One option that will be discussed at the April 11 gathering is a potential combination with Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.’s wireless unit H3G SpA, one of the people said, asking not to be named because the deliberations are private. While Telecom Italia could be interested in eliminating a competitor, the Milan-based company doesn’t want to spend cash, and offering stock would dilute investors’ interest, the person said.