According to industry consultant Andrea Giuricin, NTV found it difficult to obtain technical approval and safety licences to operate its new fleet of Alstom-built Automotrice à grande vitesse (AGV) trains; Giuricin also acknowledged the establishment process as being quite complex in general.[1] Italy needed to refine its regulatory structures so that private rail operators could achieve a level playing field.[2] Disputes over access to both station facilities and train paths were symptomatic of NTV's early years.[8] In October 2013, the Italian Competition Authority determined that both Trenitalia and RFI had made deliberate efforts to exclude NTV.