The infrastructure, called the National Strategic Hub (NSH), is part of the Italian government's strategy to accelerate a digital transformation and guarantee national data security and control.

A rival consortium comprising Leonardo, Telecom Italia, Italian state lender CDP and software company Sogei now have 15 days to match the Fastweb-Aruba offer, Italy's innovation ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Francesca Landini; editing by Jonathan Oatis)