The head of Austria’s competition regulator is reportedly warning the European Commission over telecommunication merger reviews following a missed opportunity for the Commission to prevent a recent Hutchinson Whampoa buyout that lead to price hikes.
Reports say Hutchinson’s buyout of Orange Austria lead regulators to impose concessions on the deal to ease competition concerns over the merger that lead to a reduction in Austrian competitors from four players to three. But according to reports, prices spiked anyway.
Now, Austrian regulators are hoping the Commission learns from that experience as Hutchinson and Telefonica are probed by the EU for similar acquisitions.
”For the future, and this concerns Ireland and Germany, one is will advices to look carefully at Austria’s experience,” Theodor Thanner, Director General of the Austrian Competition Authority, told reporters Monday.
Hutchinson is looking to acquire O2 Ireland and was set to meet with EU regulators on Tuesday to discuss the deal.
Similarly, Telefonica’s German operations made a deal to acquire Royal KPN’s E-Plus in an $11.8 billion deal, one that reports say may soon receive a objections by authorities.
Full Content: Bloomberg
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Uruguayan Antitrust Scrutiny Puts Major Meatpacking Deal Between Marfrig and Minerva on Hold
May 19, 2024 by
CPI
Alaska Airlines Seeks Dismissal of Consumer Lawsuit Over $1.9 Billion Hawaiian Airlines Buy
May 19, 2024 by
CPI
Idaho Attorney General Orders Split of Kootenai Health and Syringa Hospital
May 19, 2024 by
CPI
Court Rejects T-Mobile’s Appeal Bid in Antitrust Case Over Sprint Merger
May 19, 2024 by
CPI
Google Requests Judge, Not Jury, to Decide on Antitrust Case
May 19, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Ecosystems
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Mapping Antitrust onto Digital Ecosystems
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Ecosystems and Competition Law: A Law and Political Economy Approach
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Ecosystem Theories of Harm: What is Beyond the Buzzword?
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Open Ecosystems: Benefits, Challenges, and Implications for Antitrust
May 9, 2024 by
CPI