Swiss telecom company Swisscom on Friday said it was set to acquire Vodafone Italia for €8 billion ($8.7 billion) with the aim of becoming a leading challenger in the Italian telecom market. Swisscom said in a statement that it entered into “binding agreements” with British telecommunications firm Vodafone Group to acquire 100% of its Italian subsidiary “with the aim of merging it with Fastweb,” Swisscom’s subsidiary in the country. “Vodafone Italia and Fastweb will bring together complementary high-quality mobile and fixed infrastructures, competencies, and capabilities to create a leading co…