(Telecompaper) Telecom Italia has confirmed its intention to resume negotiations with Milan-based fibre-optic provider Metroweb on plans to roll out a broadband network throughout Italy. In a statement issued following a board meeting held on 16 October, the company said it had examined a new proposal put forward by the two shareholders of Metroweb state-backed Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) and infrastructure fund FSI with regard to "the possibility of sharing a plan of investments in the FTTH (fibre-to-the home) network". No further details of the plan's content were released but unnamed sources cited by Bloomberg last week suggested that Telecom Italia's board would discuss a cash offer for an initial stake of 40 percent in Metroweb, subsequently boosting its holding to 60 percent and eventually reaching 100 percent over a five-year period. Telecom Italia chairman Giuseppe Recchi was last week quoted as saying that "Telecom Italia has always been open to Metroweb it has always been open to building a sustainable network for the benefit of the market and the country."