Vivendi, the largest shareholder of Telecom Italia (TIM), has requested additional documentation on the sale of the phone group's fixed-line network to U.S. fund Kkr at the first hearing on the French group's appeal against the sale of Netco.

This was reported by a lawyer for the French company at the end of the hearing.

The plan to sell the network -- worth 22 billion euros and backed by the Treasury -- is a key element of Tim CEO Pietro Labriola's strategy to rehabilitate the indebted telecommunications company.

Vivendi, which was aiming for a higher price, filed an appeal in December with the Milan court to annul the decision of Tim's board, made without a shareholder vote.

A date for the next hearing has not been set by the judge, who met with the parties behind closed doors this morning.

Tim has defended the validity of the board's decision to divest the network.

According to one of Tim's lawyers, the judge already has all the elements to decide the case without the need to provide additional documentation.

(Elvira Pollina, in Editor Francesca Piscioneri, editing Claudia Cristoferi)