Our history

ENERGY AND INSURANCE BEYOND CONNECTIONS

WINDTRE is the Italian network operator that offers connectivity, energy, and insurance products*. It’s a point of reference for families who demand reliable, affordable, and transparent products and services, with widespread consultancy and support available thanks to the hundreds of WINDTRE stores present throughout the country. WINDTRE is ranked as the number one mobile telecom operator in Italy**, covering 99.7% of the population with 4G, 96.3% with 5G DSS***, and 70.3% with 5G TDD technology, all thanks to its state-of-the-art infrastructure.

WINDTRE BUSINESS is the WINDTRE Group division that helps companies, professionals, and administrations tackle the ongoing digital transformation and sustainability challenges. WINDTRE BUSINESS offers a wide range of fixed and mobile telephony services, ultra-broadband, fibre optic, and FWA connectivity services, and Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, and Cloud solutions with next generation Data Centres, all in partnership with numerous industry-leading ICT Solution and Application Providers.

Having been recognised as a ‘Top Employer’ for the fifth consecutive year in 2023, WINDTRE’s sustainability**** goals include the well-being and inclusion of individuals, the protection of the environment, and the creation of a safer digital environment for everybody. Through the ‘NeoConnessi’ project, dedicated to primary school children, the company has engaged with over one million students on the conscientious use of technology since 2018. In 2022, WINDTRE signed the ‘Borghi Connessi’ initiative to reduce the digital divide within small Italian municipalities caused by territorial, economic, cultural, and age factors.

(*) Energy and insurance services offered by third party partners. Wind Tre S.p.A. insurance broker registered in section A-Agents of the RUI, subject to supervision by IVASS. For more info, visit www.windtre.it
(**) WINDTRE is ranked first in terms of number of human SIMs (total SIMs excluding SIMs enabled exclusively for machine-to-machine communications) for 24 consecutive quarters [source: Osservatorio AGCOM 2-2023].
(***) 5G DSS technology allows the network to be exploited quickly and intelligently, in both 4G and 5G mode, depending on the customer terminal type and subscription plan.
(****) Below is the link to the sustainability report: Sustainability Report

History of the merger

6 MARCH 2020

The new single brand WINDTRE is born, consolidating the company's value positioning. It focuses on a friendly technology, 'much closer' to people's daily lives. The single brand WINDTRE has, in fact, the goal to facilitate human relationships and to support all customers in facing the current day challenges.

7 SEPTEMBER 2018

CK Hutchison is officially the sole shareholder of Wind Tre.

31 August 2018

CK Hutchison welcomes European Commission approval of its 100% ownership of Wind Tre. The Commission’s decision marks the final regulatory step in the acquisition process and paves the way for final completion of the transaction.

3rd JULY 2018

CK Hutchison announces it has reached an agreement to acquire VEON’s 50% stake in Wind Tre. The transaction will bring CK Hutchison to hold 100% of the telecommunications operator.

31st DECEMBER 2016

From January 2017 Wind Tre is operational on the Italian telecommunications market as the largest mobile operator. The company aims at becoming the key reference player for the fixed-mobile integration and for the development of the new generation fiber networks, mostly thanks to the agreement with Enel Open Fiber for the rollout of the ultra-broadband network in our country.

5th NOVEMBER 2016

CK Hutchison and VimpelCom (now VEON) formally completed the transaction to combine their businesses in Italy, following receipt of all remaining regulatory approvals. 3 Italia and WIND are now formally under the joint ownership of CK Hutchison and VimpelCom (now VEON). Shareholders can now begin finalizing the formal integration of the two companies.

25th OCTOBER 2016

CK Hutchison and VimpelCom (now VEON) received final approval from the Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) in Italy for their 50/50 joint venture to merge the mobile businesses of 3 Italia and Wind. The integration of the two companies will be completed by the end of the year. The combined entity will deliver major investment into Italy’s digital infrastructure, bring benefits to consumers and businesses across Italy and unlock significant value through synergies.

1st SEPTEMBER 2016

The EU Commission approved CK Hutchison and VimpelCom (now VEON) joint venture. The joint venture will unlock €7 billion of investment in Italy’s digital infrastructure, supporting growth across the Country. Customers will benefit from significantly increased download speeds and 4G/LTE coverage, greater reliability and stronger competition. The combined network, together with further significant investments, will provide Italian users with unmatched network quality and will accelerate the availability of high-speed mobile and fixed broadband services. With over 31 million mobile customers and 2.8 million fixed line customers (of which 2.5 million are fixed broadband customers), the combined business is expected to generate €5 billion benefits less integration costs. The joint revenue of both companies in 2015 was €6.25 billion. The transaction is one of the largest M&A deals to be done in Italy since 2007.

6th AUGUST 2015

CK Hutchison and VimpelCom (now VEON) announced an agreement to form a 50/50 joint venture to own and operate their telecommunications businesses in Italy. Thanks to this integration, 3 ITALIA and WIND will have the scale and strength to continue to offer innovative telecommunication services at competitive prices and become a stronger player in the Italian market.