), commonly known as SIP or SIPTEL, was the Italian state-owned telecommunications company, which dealt with public, fixed and mobile telephony.

In 1964, the energy assets of Società Idroelettrica Piemontese (SIP), founded in 1918, was nationalized into Enel; it then acquired all of the Italian telephone companies, becoming Società Italiana per l'Esercizio Telefonico (SIP).

SIP was a state monopoly from 1964 to 1996 and Italians were required to pay the "Canone Telecom," a line rental fee of approximately €120 per year., plus hardware rental and other minor costs) in order to have a phone at home.

On 27 July 1994, by the merger of several telecommunications companies among which SIP, IRITEL, Italcable, Telespazio and SIRM (companies owned by STET), Telecom Italia was born.

[1][2] This was due to a reorganization plan for the telecommunications sector presented by IRI to the Minister of Finance.