Italian operators Iliad and WindTre have agreed to a joint venture aimed at sharing the network costs in rural parts of the country.

The aim of the JV is to bridge the digital divide in rural parts of the country, and will see both operators share costs and management of mobile networks in rural Italy.

According to reports from the Italian publication Mondo Mobile Web, the JV will see both operators secure a joint 50 percent share in the new entity, which will be known as Zefiro Net.

Zefiro Net will offer mobile services, including 5G, plus ultra-fast broadband to these areas, which covers 26.8 percent of Italy's population.

Details of the JV were first reported by Reuters in March 2022, with the publication noting that a deal would value the company at between €600 to €900 million ($636 to $954m).

As part of the deal, WindTre said it would transfer 7,000 existing mobile sites to Zefiro Net, reported Reuters at the time.