Telecom Italia (TIM) would support any consolidation within the country's telecommunications market, even if initiated by competitors, CEO Pietro Labriola said.

"We are in favor of any type of market consolidation that makes it more balanced and rational," Labriola told analysts during a conference call following the results, when asked to comment on a potential merger between rivals Iliad and Wind Tre.

(Reporting by Elvira Pollina, Philippe Leroy Banlieu, editing by Stefano Bernabei)