(Telecompaper) Telecom Italia (TIM) announced that its board of directors approved a plan to voluntarily separate its fixed access network, creating a legal entity (Netco) that's 100 percent controlled by the company. TIM said it will continue to own the access network (from the exchange up to customers' homes) and all the corresponding infrastructure (buildings, electronic equipment and IT systems), with the unit staffed appropriately to provide wholesale services independently.