2. the Communications Sector in Italy
2. The communications sector in Italy 2. The communications sector in Italy 2.1. Telecommunications In a picture of progressive deterioration of the macroeconomic situation, the trend of contraction of the telecommunications market, on both fixed and mobile network, already observed for some years, was confirmed in 2011. In this context, the elements which best qualify the Italian telecommunications market, show no substantial change in 2011 compared to the last two years. These elements can be summed up as follows: i) the expenditure of families and companies in telecommunications services continues to fall, with a slight acceleration compared to 2010; ii) the reduction in the prices of telecommunications services to both private and business customers, on both fixed and mobile networks, is constant; iii) the contraction in voice calls on dial-up network continues, with a reduction of 11.7% in the number of minutes consumed, while voice traffic from the mobile network has increased by another 10% in the last year; iv) the spread of broadband services on fixed and mobile network has produced further growth in income deriving from data services; v) there is still growth, but with indications of the saturation of the relative market, in the virtual mobile telephony compartment; vi) with regard to the competitive situation, the erosion of Telecom Italia's total market share continues; vii) in last autumn, an auction was held for the assigning of the usage rights of the frequencies in the 800, 1,800, 2,000 and 2,600 MHz bands, which led to a total commitment of the mobile operators for € 3.9 billion; viii) on the other hand, the reduction in investments in infrastructures is confirmed;9 ix) The gross profit of the sector is substantially stable, also thanks to the continuous restructuring and cost containment actions carried out by the telecommunications companies.
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