(Telecompaper) Telecom Italia confirmed that Hutchison Whampoa is interested in becoming its controlling shareholder. In a statement after its latest board meeting, the Italian operator Hutchison has made the sale of 3 conditional on it also becoming Telecom's largest shareholder, the company said. Telecom Italia has named a committee led by executive chairman Franco Bernabe to continue evaluating the proposed transaction. It also includes the directors Luigi Zingales, Gabriele Galateri, Elio Catania and Julio Linares. Also at the board meeting the operator decided to go ahead with plans for spinning off its fixed network. The board mandated management to define the operational process and feasibility of the structural separation of the access network.