The Deposits and Loans Fund, the financial institution controlled by the Ministry of Economy, has submitted an offer to buy the entire network infrastructure of Tim, the main Italian telecommunications company of which it already owns about 10 percent of the shares. The offer includes the participation of the Australian investment fund Macquarie Asset Management. This is an alternative proposal to the one presented in February by the US fund KKR. The offer is not binding and will expire on March 31: Tim has announced that it will probably be evaluated in the board of directors already scheduled for March 15. The size of the offer was not disclosed but, according to several newspapers, it would be slightly more advantageous than that of KKR: the offer would in fact provide 10 billion euros to be paid immediately into the coffers of Tim, two more than KKR, and 8 billion euros to settle debts.