A PYMNTS Company

France: Authorities to examine Orange-Bouygues Telecom deal

By  |  January 20, 2016

European Commission will not investigate any tie-up between French telcos, sources claim.

France’s competition authority will be responsible for investigating any deal between Orange and Bouygues Telecom, and not the European Commission, Reuters claimed on Wednesday.

The newswire cited unnamed sources as saying that the European Commission will play no part in the approvals process if a takeover deal is struck by the telcos.

One of the sources added that “there’s no doubt” that any deal would come under French jurisdiction.

Orange and Bouygues Telecom revealed they were holding merger talks earlier this month.

Given that Orange is the biggest player in the French market, any deal would doubtless include the sale of assets, possibly including spectrum and customers.

Full content: Reuters

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.