Tessellis
Tessellis is an Italian telecommunications company that operates consumer internet and communications services through the Tiscali and Linkem commercial brands.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Tessellis S.p.A. is an Italian telecommunications company headquartered in Cagliari, Sardinia. The company was established in January 1998 as Tiscali S.p.A. by Renato Soru after the deregulation of Italy’s telephone system. Its name referred to Tiscali, a Sardinian mountain associated with the remains of an ancient settlement. Although the corporate name changed to Tessellis in January 2023, the business continued to serve customers principally through the Tiscali and Linkem brands. Tiscali initially built its position as an internet-service provider during the rapid expansion of consumer internet access in Europe. In Italy, its Tiscali Free Net service, launched in 1999, allowed customers to access the internet without a fixed subscription charge, paying instead for connection time. The offer helped intensify competition in the Italian market and contributed to the removal of fixed-fee barriers that had limited household internet adoption. Tiscali later expanded into broadband access, fixed-line telephony, mobile services, online portals and other digital products. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Tiscali pursued an international expansion strategy based on acquiring smaller internet providers. It operated or acquired businesses in several European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as operations in South Africa. Many of these businesses were subsequently sold as the company narrowed its geographic focus. By the mid-2000s, Italy and the United Kingdom had become its principal target markets, although the United Kingdom business was later sold to Carphone Warehouse and ultimately integrated into TalkTalk. The company also experimented with adjacent communications and digital businesses. It launched mobile services in Italy in 2009 as an enhanced-service mobile virtual network operator using TIM’s network. Its activities included the Tiscali International Network wholesale carrier operation, which provided IP connectivity, MPLS, voice-over-IP and network-monitoring services. That business was sold in 2009 and became Tinet. Tiscali also operated web portals, webmail and content services, developed the short-lived istella search engine and indoona communications application, and briefly offered Tiscali TV IPTV services in Italy and the United Kingdom. Tiscali’s corporate history has been shaped by disposals, mergers and changes in infrastructure strategy. It completed a merger with Italian WiMAX operator Aria in 2016. In 2022, Tiscali incorporated Linkem Retail, the consumer-facing retail business associated with Linkem. Linkem S.p.A., later renamed OpNet S.p.A., became the majority shareholder of the enlarged company. The merger expanded Tiscali’s retail portfolio and brought Linkem’s fixed-wireless broadband proposition into the company’s commercial structure. Following the transaction, the company changed its parent name to Tessellis while retaining Tiscali and Linkem as customer-facing brands. In 2024, Wind Tre agreed to acquire OpNet and its assets, including network infrastructure, while excluding Tessellis itself. The transaction was completed on 1 August 2024. Tessellis therefore remained a separate retail telecommunications company, operating with the commercial brands inherited or retained after the Tiscali-Linkem combination. Its core scope is Italian connectivity and telecommunications, including broadband internet, fixed communications and related consumer services. The company’s Cagliari campus remains an important corporate and technology center associated with its Sardinian roots.
History
Tessellis originated as Tiscali S.p.A., founded in Cagliari in January 1998 by Renato Soru after the liberalization of Italy’s telecommunications market. The company took its name from the Sardinian mountain of Tiscali. Its early growth was closely linked to the spread of household internet access. In 1999, Tiscali Italia introduced Tiscali Free Net, an access model without a recurring subscription fee, in which users paid for the time spent online. The offer placed pressure on Italian providers and helped accelerate the transition toward more accessible consumer internet services. Tiscali pursued rapid expansion during the European internet boom. It created Tiscali Italia in 1999 and participated in the establishment of Andala with Franco Bernabè and Sanpaolo IMI. Andala was acquired by Hutchison Whampoa in 2000 and won a tender for third-generation UMTS licenses. Tiscali itself expanded through acquisitions of internet-service providers and communications businesses across Europe. It operated in markets including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg, and also had South African operations. The international portfolio was later substantially reduced. Between 2004 and 2007, Tiscali sold numerous national subsidiaries, including operations in Austria, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands. The disposals reflected a strategy of concentrating on fewer markets and improving the company’s operational focus. Tiscali identified Italy and the United Kingdom as its principal markets in the mid-2000s. Its UK business included HomeChoice and television services, but the subsidiary was sold to Carphone Warehouse in 2009 and later rebranded as part of TalkTalk. Alongside consumer access, Tiscali developed wholesale and digital businesses. Its international network division supplied global IP connectivity, MPLS circuits, VoIP and network-monitoring services through a backbone that reached Europe, the United States and Hong Kong. The division was sold in 2009 to BS Private Equity and renamed Tinet. Tiscali also operated country-specific web portals, webmail, media and community features. It created subsidiaries for advertising sales, the indoona messaging application and the istella search engine. Tiscali TV operated briefly in Italy between 2007 and 2008, while the UK television operation was ultimately acquired with the UK business. Tiscali entered Italian mobile communications in 2009 through Tiscali Mobile, an enhanced-service mobile virtual network operator using TIM’s network. The company also continued to develop fixed broadband and telephone services. In 2016 it completed a merger with Aria S.p.A., an Italian WiMAX provider, strengthening its position in wireless connectivity. The most important recent structural change was the combination with Linkem’s retail business. Tiscali and Linkem approved the merger project in 2021, and their shareholders approved the transaction in April 2022. Completion took place on 1 August 2022 through the incorporation of Linkem Retail into Tiscali, with the relevant retail branch transferred to Tiscali Italia. Linkem S.p.A., subsequently renamed OpNet S.p.A., became the enlarged company’s majority shareholder. The group continued to use Tiscali and Linkem as commercial brands. On 19 January 2023, the parent company changed its legal name from Tiscali S.p.A. to Tessellis S.p.A. The new corporate identity distinguished the holding company from its customer-facing brands while preserving the established Tiscali and Linkem names. In February 2024, Wind Tre agreed to acquire OpNet, including its network infrastructure and other subsidiaries, but excluding Tessellis. The transaction closed on 1 August 2024. Tessellis consequently remained an independent retail telecommunications business focused on the Italian market. Its headquarters and technology presence are associated with the Tiscali Campus at Sa Illetta in Cagliari, a notable contemporary architectural site and a long-standing center for internet technology development.
- 2024
OpNet transaction closes
[1]Wind Tre completes its acquisition of OpNet and associated infrastructure, excluding Tessellis.
- 2023
Corporate name becomes Tessellis
[1]Tiscali S.p.A. changes its parent-company name to Tessellis S.p.A. while retaining Tiscali and Linkem as commercial brands.
- 2022
Linkem Retail merger is completed
[1]Tiscali incorporates Linkem Retail and assumes control of the consumer services previously supplied through Linkem’s retail business.
- 2016
Merger with Aria is completed
[1]Tiscali completes its merger with Aria S.p.A., an Italian WiMAX operator.
- 2009
Tiscali Mobile launches in Italy
[1]The company enters mobile services as an enhanced-service virtual operator using the TIM network.
- 2004
International portfolio rationalization begins
[1]Tiscali begins selling several overseas subsidiaries as it moves toward a more focused geographic strategy.
- 2000
Andala wins a UMTS license tender
[1]Andala, established by Tiscali, Franco Bernabè and Sanpaolo IMI and later acquired by Hutchison Whampoa, wins a tender for third-generation mobile licenses.
- 1999
Tiscali Free Net launches
[1]Tiscali Italia introduces a subscription-free internet access model based on usage time, contributing to greater competition in Italy.
- 1999
Tiscali goes public
[1]Tiscali completes an initial public offering on the Italian Stock Exchange during the dot-com boom.
- 1998
Tiscali is founded in Cagliari
[1]Renato Soru establishes Tiscali S.p.A. in Cagliari after the deregulation of Italy’s telephone system.
Products and positioning
An Italian, Sardinia-rooted telecommunications operator focused on consumer connectivity, combining Tiscali’s internet-service-provider heritage with Linkem’s fixed-wireless retail business.
Fixed broadband
Tiscali broadband
Tiscali’s principal consumer connectivity offering in Italy, providing fixed internet access and related communications services. The service developed from the company’s original dial-up and broadband internet operations and remains one of the main commercial expressions of the Tessellis business.
Fixed-wireless broadband
Linkem broadband
The Linkem retail proposition was brought into the Tessellis structure through the 2022 merger with Linkem Retail. It represents the company’s fixed-wireless connectivity heritage and complements Tiscali’s broader internet-service-provider portfolio.
Mobile telecommunications · 2009
Tiscali Mobile
An Italian enhanced-service mobile virtual network operator launched in 2009 using TIM’s mobile network. The service extended Tiscali’s fixed internet identity into mobile communications.
IPTV · 2007
Tiscali TV
A short-lived IPTV service offered in Italy between 2007 and 2008 in selected cities. Tiscali also operated a related television service in the United Kingdom before the UK business was sold.
Wholesale telecommunications
Tiscali International Network
A former carrier division providing wholesale IP connectivity, MPLS services, VoIP and network monitoring. The business was sold in 2009 and renamed Tinet.
Marketing campaigns
- 1999Tiscali Free Net launch
Italy
Tiscali promoted a usage-based internet access model without a fixed subscription fee, making consumer access more affordable and challenging the prevailing pricing structure.
Outcome. The offer increased competitive pressure and contributed to other Italian providers removing fixed subscription fees.
Brand decisions
2024
Separate Tessellis from the OpNet transactionM&ABackground
Wind Tre agreed to acquire OpNet, including network infrastructure and its subsidiaries, after OpNet had become Tessellis’s majority shareholder.
Action taken
The transaction was structured to exclude Tessellis itself and was completed on 1 August 2024.
Aftermath
Tessellis remained a separate retail telecommunications company operating through the Tiscali and Linkem brands.
2023
Adopt the Tessellis corporate nameStrategyBackground
Following the Tiscali-Linkem combination, the parent company needed a corporate identity distinct from either principal commercial brand.
Action taken
The legal name Tiscali S.p.A. was changed to Tessellis S.p.A., while Tiscali and Linkem continued as customer-facing brands.
Aftermath
Tessellis became the corporate name for the combined company without eliminating the established retail brands.
2022
Merge Linkem Retail into TiscaliM&ABackground
Tiscali sought to combine its internet-service-provider operations with Linkem’s consumer retail business.
Action taken
Tiscali incorporated Linkem Retail and transferred the relevant retail branch to Tiscali Italia. OpNet became the majority shareholder of the enlarged company.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded the company’s Italian connectivity portfolio and created the corporate basis for the later Tessellis identity.
Recent events
- 2024
Wind Tre agrees to acquire OpNet assets[1]
M&A
Wind Tre agreed to acquire OpNet and its network infrastructure and subsidiaries, with Tessellis excluded from the transaction.
- 2024
Wind Tre completes OpNet transaction[1]
M&A
The acquisition of OpNet by Wind Tre was completed, while Tessellis remained outside the transaction as a separate retail telecommunications company.
- 2023
Tiscali changes corporate name to Tessellis[1]
Other
The parent company adopted the Tessellis name while continuing to operate commercially through the Tiscali and Linkem brands.
- 2022
Shareholders approve Tiscali-Linkem merger[1]
M&A
Shareholder meetings of Tiscali and Linkem approved the merger between the companies and their retail operations.
- 2022
Tiscali completes Linkem Retail integration[1]
M&A
The merger was completed, Linkem Retail was integrated into Tiscali, and Linkem S.p.A., subsequently renamed OpNet, became the majority shareholder of Tiscali.
- 2021
Tiscali and Linkem approve retail-business merger project[1]
M&A
Tiscali S.p.A. and Linkem S.p.A. approved a plan to merge Linkem Retail into Tiscali, laying the groundwork for a combined Italian consumer telecommunications business.
Sources1 sources
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