(Telecompaper) Telecom Italia may decide to officially reopen talks to take over fibre-optic provider Metroweb at its 26 March board meeting in Venice, according to unnamed sources cited by Reuters. The company has been pressured into restart negotiations by Vodafone Italia's signature of a non-disclosure agreement over Metroweb, which formally opened talks to buy a stake in the group. The Italian government is hoping to use Milan-based Metroweb as the vehicle for its ambitious fibre-optic expansion plans but Telecom Italia has made it clear that it is only interested in taking part in the project if it receives 51 percent ownership of the company. Talks to buy a stake in Metroweb collapsed in February after Telecom Italia's board decided that conditions were not yet right for a deal.