(Telecompaper) Italian regulator Agcom has given the green light to Telecom Italia's preliminary proposal for spinning off its fixed network as an independent company. Telecom submitted the plan in late May, and Agcom officials met with the company to discuss the technical details. The regulator's evaluation focused on three themes: the services to be provided by the new company; the road map for providing 'equivalence of inputs' (EoI), ie the same services and quality to other wholesale customers as Telecom's retail activities receive; and the governance system for ensuring EoI. Agcom found that the proposal is in line with the guidelines from EU regulator Berec on unbundling, while noting this is only the first step in a process that must include all stakeholders. In September, the regulator plans to start a more in-depth analysis of the proposal and its implications for the wholesale access market. Telecom Italia earlier this month said it was suspending the plan, after Agcom approved a cut in wholesale broadband rates. It has since met with EU regulators over the proposals for a new recommendation on wholesale broadband and said it hopes to make a new decision on the spin-off by the end of this month.