Italtel

Italtel (since 1981; formerly known by other names) is an Italian multinational ICT company founded in 1921, originally as a branch of Siemens AG. As of 2024, Italtel's shareholders are Nextalia SGR (54%), Clessidra Capital Credit Fund (28%) and TIM (18%). The technological areas that Italtel addresses are the evolution of networks and 5G, hybrid cloud, cyber security, tools for agile working, Analytics and Automation applied to networks and services, the Internet of Things in areas such as digital health, manufacturing, smart cities. Target markets are: Telco & Media, Industry & Manufacturing, Energy & Transport, Banking & Insurance, Healthcare and Public Administration. Italtel played a major role in the development of telecommunication systems in Italy, most notably as one of the main equipment providers for the Italian state monopoly telephone operator SIP (later Telecom Italia) and as the leading actor in the evolution of the Italian PSTN from analog to digital switching (enabled by Italtel's CT, TN, and UT systems in the 1980s). At its maximum prosperity, the company grew to over 30.000 employees. In the 1980s–1990s, Italtel experienced a period of crisis and downsizing due to major changes in its reference market (including the abolishment of the state monopoly and the privatization of SIP/Telecom), a situation that was further exacerbated by an unsuccessful merger leveraged buyout at the beginning of the 2000s. The company then gradually repositioned itself as a player in the international ICT market, focusing on technologies such as IP networks, Next-generation networks, and VoIP, and expanding its customer base to other telecommunication service providers (both national and abroad), public administration, and non-telco companies. In this process, Italtel established a partnership with Cisco Systems (becoming a Cisco Gold Certified Partner) and opened offices in 25 countries worldwide, mostly in Europe and South America. In the early 2000s,...