Italian operators reportedly beg government for debt relief

Having overbid for 5G spectrum a few years ago, Italian operators are apparently panicking now that the payments to the government are due.
This is according to Reuters, which got hold of a letter from Italian telecoms lobby group Assotelecomunicazioni (abbreviated, remarkably, to Asstel) to the Italian government. It pleaded with the state to allow a delay of payments, said to be in excess of €4 billion, that are due on winning auction bids later this year.
Asstel itself doesn’t seem