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France: Rivals ready to fight Numericable/SFR deal

By  |  September 29, 2014

Competition authorities in France are preparing to hear from competitors of the nation’s telco industry regarding plans for cable operator Numericable to acquire rival SFR, say reports.

The watchdog will hear concerns and comments on the matter on October 8 as it prepares to rule on the merger by the end of the month. Reports say authorities are expected to demand concessions from the cable firms before approving the takeover.

Industry experts predict that Numericable will be forced to divest its oversees unit Outremer Telecom and say that there is a possibility the merged company will be forced to open their fixed network to rivals.

According to reports, officials are also slated to review how Vivendi will be affected by the deal; the leading mass media firm will hold a 20 percent stake in the new company.

Full content: Digital TV Europe

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