Tessellis
Tessellis is an Italian Smart Telco formed from the 2022 merger of Tiscali and Linkem Retail, operating as Italy's leading FWA/FTTH ultrabroadband provider and 5th fixed-line operator. It serves Italian households, businesses and Public Administration through dual consumer brands, plus a media-tech portal ecosystem anchored in Cagliari.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersCagliari, Italy
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Tessellis does
Tessellis S.p.A. (Borsa Italiana ticker IT0005496473) is an Italian Smart Telco headquartered at the Sa Illetta campus in Cagliari, Sardinia. The group was formed on 1 August 2022 through the merger of Tiscali (founded 1998 in Cagliari) with the retail division of Linkem, creating Italy's leading operator in the FWA/FTTH ultrabroadband segment and the country's fifth-largest fixed-line telecom operator. Tessellis operates through two consumer brands — Tiscali (fixed and mobile ultrabroadband) and Linkem (FWA/mobile) — plus the Tiscali.it portal ecosystem that includes Tiscali Notizie, Milleunadonna, Gamesurf, Bike, Tiscali Mail (>1M active accounts), Tiscali Shopping, Tagliacosti comparison service, and the Veesible advertising concessionaire. The group also holds a 60% stake in Aetherna S.r.l., operates the Sa Illetta Data Center as its national telecommunications exchange hub, and runs the Tiscali Campus technology hub in Cagliari, employing around 1,054 people (57% women, ~92% in southern Italy, roughly half at the Cagliari HQ).
Commercially, Tessellis sells integrated fixed and mobile subscription services to Italian consumer households (famiglie), businesses (imprese) ranging from SMB to mid-market, and Public Administration, using a sales-led go-to-market that combines direct Tiscali/Linkem retail channels with wholesale access agreements to Open Fiber, Fastweb and other network operators. Distribution spans proprietary websites, call centers, sports sponsorships (Cagliari Calcio, AS Roma, Olimpia Milano, Dinamo Sassari, Rock in Roma) and traditional TV/radio campaigns. The company supplements connectivity revenue with a Media & Tech portfolio (email, news verticals, shopping, price comparison, programmatic advertising via Veesible) and is layering new product lines — Tiscali Mobile 5G, Tiscali Protezione Cyber (with Yalla Security), Linkem My Ti-Vi (with Agile Content), and Linkem 5G Protezione Casa (with AXA Partners Italia) — onto the core subscription base.
Owing to ongoing financial pressure, Tessellis initiated a Composizione Negoziata della Crisi (court-supervised negotiated crisis composition) in March 2026 covering Tessellis S.p.A., Tiscali Italia S.p.A., and GO Internet S.p.A., and in July 2026 completed the court-authorized sale of Perimeter B.1 (GO Internet's B2B business and its stake in X-Stream S.r.l.) to DHH S.p.A. Three successive capital increases were executed in 2023, 2024 and 2025, the group holds UNI/PdR 125:2022 gender equality certification (2024) and additional ISO certifications (January 2025), and has won Ookla Speedtest Awards for fastest fixed network in Italy in 2021 and 2022.
Tessellis firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tessellis
- Legal name
- Tessellis S.p.A.
- Website
- https://tessellis.it
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Tessellis is an Italian Smart Telco formed from the 2022 merger of Tiscali and Linkem Retail, operating as Italy's leading FWA/FTTH ultrabroadband provider and 5th fixed-line operator. It serves Italian households, businesses and Public Administration through dual consumer brands, plus a media-tech portal ecosystem anchored in Cagliari.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tessellis industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Telecommunications Services
- NAICS
- Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171)
- SIC
- Communications Services, Nec (4899), Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Home Networking & Connected Home Infrastructure (Wi‑Fi Mesh, Routers, Matter/Thread/Zigbee Bridges) (HSAPAQAG)
Keywords
Where Tessellis is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cagliari
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tessellis business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Telecom Services (Consumer & Business): Integrated fixed and mobile telecommunications services under Tiscali and Linkem brands, serving residential families, businesses, and Public Administration customers
- Media & Tech - Portal & Advertising: Tiscali.it portal with registered news outlets (Tiscali Notizie, Milleunadonna), specialized verticals (Gamesurf, Bike), Tiscali mail service with 1+ million active accounts, Tiscali Shopping digital mall, Tagliacosti comparator service, and Veesible advertising concessionaire operating in online advertising
- Strategic Participations: Equity stakes in startups and innovative companies operating in strategic vertical sectors, contributing to technology transfer and innovation diffusion
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Tessellis product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tessellis is a Smart Telco operating under the Tiscali and Linkem brands, providing integrated fixed and mobile telecommunications services across Italy using FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) and FTTH (Fiber To The Home) technologies. The company also operates a Media & Tech division including Tiscali Mail (1M+ active accounts), Tiscali Shopping digital mall, news/content portals (Tiscali Notizie, Milleunadonna, Gamesurf, Bike), and Veesible online advertising. It serves consumer households, businesses, and Public Administration customers with ultrabroadband connectivity, cloud services, and complementary products such as cybersecurity protection, home protection bundles, and TV streaming.
Product overview
Tessellis is a Smart Telco operating as a unified platform combining telecommunications and media-tech services. The core offerings center on two primary brands: Tiscali (fixed and mobile ultrabroadband via FWA and FTTH) and Linkem (mobile services). The Media & Tech division includes Tiscali mail (1M+ active accounts), Tiscali Shopping (digital mall), and content verticals (Tiscali Notizie, Milleunadonna, Gamesurf, Bike, Risparmio). Add-on services include cybersecurity (Tiscali Protezione Cyber), home protection (Linkem 5G Protezione Casa), and TV streaming (Linkem My Ti-Vi). The Data Center of Sa Illetta in Cagliari serves as the technological hub, while Veesible handles advertising operations across owned and third-party properties.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tiscali: National telecommunications operator brand offering ultrabroadband fixed and mobile services
- Linkem
- Tiscali.it
- Tiscali Campus
- Veesible
Products and services
- Tiscali (Telecom Brand)
- Linkem (Mobile Brand)
- Tiscali Mobile 5G
- Ultrainternet Fibra Smart Home
- Tiscali Protezione Cyber
- Linkem 5G Protezione Casa
- Linkem My Ti-Vi
- Tiscali Mail
- Tiscali Shopping
- Tagliacosti
- Tiscali Notizie
- Milleunadonna
- Gamesurf
- Bike (Tiscali)
- Risparmio
- Veesible
- Duels
Companies that use Tessellis
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tessellis technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature3 records
Tessellis partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- DHH S.P.A.coreTessellis completed the sale of Perimeter B.1 (GO Internet's B2B business unit including participation in X-Stream S.r.l.) to DHH S.P.A. The transaction was authorized by the Court of Cagliari and represents a significant restructuring of the company's business units.
- SDA Bocconi School of Management - European FS Tech HubminorTiscali Italia and the European FS Tech Hub of SDA Bocconi opened a discussion table on composable artificial intelligence.
- European CommissioncoreTiscali Italia was selected by the European Commission for the development of Generative Artificial Intelligence services, indicating participation in EU-funded technology initiatives.
- Olimpia MilanominorTiscali is Official Connectivity Partner of Olimpia Milano basketball team, providing connectivity services and marketing visibility through sports sponsorship.
- Dinamo SassariminorTiscali is Official Telco Partner of Dinamo Sassari basketball team.
- AethernaminorTiscali Italia became majority shareholder of Aetherna with 60% of shares, a company operating in strategic technology sectors.
- Rock in RomaminorTiscali is Official Partner of Rock in Roma 2023 music festival.
- Cagliari CalciominorTiscali is Back Jersey Sponsor of Cagliari Calcio football team.
- AS RomaminorTiscali has a partnership with AS Roma football club for connectivity services.
- Open FibercorePartnership with Open Fiber starting in 2019 allowed Tiscali to focus on Fiber up to 1Giga offerings. The partnership was later extended to Infratel areas. In 2019, a new agreement was signed covering 271 cities.
- LinkemcoreWholesale agreement with Linkem enabled Tiscali to expand fixed wireless market coverage. Following the 2022 merger between Tiscali and Linkem Retail, the combined entity now operates under both brands.
- FastwebcoreIn 2018, Tiscali signed a strategic agreement with Fastweb involving the sale of its wireless division (including 42MHz spectrum license on 3.5GHz) and a commercial agreement allowing Tiscali to expand its fiber service addressable market from approximately 8 million to about 18 million families and businesses, while continuing to market LTE services in Extended Digital Divide areas.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Tessellis competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PosteMobile: Italian MVNO and fixed-line provider owned by Poste Italiane, offering mobile, fiber and energy bundles to consumer and micro-business customers. Comparable to Tessellis as an integrated connectivity challenger focused on cross-sell.
- Iliad Italy: Italian mobile challenger operator that expanded into fixed broadband/FWA. Comparable to Tessellis as a price-aggressive newer entrant targeting Italian consumers and SMBs with integrated connectivity.
- Fastweb: Italian fixed/mobile operator (part of Swisscom) and the counterparty to Tessellis's 2017/2018 divestitures. Direct competitor in Italian ultrabroadband and 5G FWA, and a key wholesale partner for Tessellis.
- EOLO: Italian Fixed Wireless Access specialist serving residential and business customers in underserved areas. Closest direct competitor to Tessellis in the FWA ultrabroadband segment.
- Sky Italia: Italian pay-TV and broadband provider (part of Comcast/NBCUniversal) bundling content with fixed connectivity. Comparable to Tessellis in offering integrated broadband + TV/streaming products under a consumer brand.
Broad incumbents
- TIM (Telecom Italia): Italy's largest fixed and mobile telecom operator, offering integrated connectivity, cloud and media services to consumer, business and public-sector customers — directly comparable customer base and product mix to Tessellis, but with vastly larger scale and owned network infrastructure.
- WindTre: Major Italian mobile operator (Wind + 3 Italia) with growing fixed and FWA offerings, serving consumer and business customers. Comparable to Tessellis in targeting integrated fixed/mobile Italian households.
- Vodafone Italy: One of Italy's major mobile and fixed broadband operators with nationwide 5G coverage and bundled consumer offerings. Comparable as a full-stack telco competitor to Tessellis across consumer and SMB segments.
Others
- Open Fiber: Italian wholesale-only fiber operator (Wholesale-only) and Tessellis's key wholesale partner for FTTH coverage. Not a direct retail competitor, but a critical infrastructure enabler whose pricing and rollout directly shape Tessellis's go-to-market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tessellis social profiles
Digital presenceTessellis compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Tessellis financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tessellis leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Tessellis subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Tessellis funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tessellis M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A4 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tessellis
What does Tessellis do?
Tessellis is a Smart Telco operating under the Tiscali and Linkem brands, providing integrated fixed and mobile telecommunications services across Italy using FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) and FTTH (Fiber To The Home) technologies. The company also operates a Media & Tech division including Tiscali Mail (1M+ active accounts), Tiscali Shopping digital mall, news/content portals (Tiscali Notizie, Milleunadonna, Gamesurf, Bike), and Veesible online advertising. It serves consumer households, businesses, and Public Administration customers with ultrabroadband connectivity, cloud services, and complementary products such as cybersecurity protection, home protection bundles, and TV streaming.
Is Tessellis a public or private company?
Tessellis is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Tessellis founded?
Tessellis was founded in 1998. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Tessellis based?
Tessellis is headquartered in Cagliari, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Tessellis make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Telecom Services (Consumer & Business) is the primary driver. The others are media & Tech - Portal & Advertising and strategic Participations.
Who are Tessellis's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PosteMobile, Iliad Italy, Fastweb, EOLO and Sky Italia. Broad incumbents are TIM (Telecom Italia), WindTre and Vodafone Italy. Open Fiber is listed as an others.
Does Tessellis have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tessellis.
What industry is Tessellis in?
Tessellis's product category is Telecommunications Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAPAQAG, Home Networking & Connected Home Infrastructure (Wi‑Fi Mesh, Routers, Matter/Thread/Zigbee Bridges). Its NAICS code is 517111 and its SIC code is 4899.