France: Telecom operator seeks $2.6bn in damages

France’s second-biggest telecoms operator SFR is seeking $2.6 billion in damages from bigger rival Orange in an antitrust litigation tied to the corporate market in the country.

SFR’s claim is detailed in Orange’s 2016 annual registration document and was first reported by French news magazine L’Express.

“SFR has accustomed us to prohibitive demands in the past that were not put into effect,” a spokesman for Orange said. SFR declined to comment.

SFR’s initial estimates for the damages amounted to 512 million euros, Orange said in its registration document.

Verizon and BT, which also provide services for the corporate sector in France, are respectively claiming 215 million and 150 million euros respectively, Orange said.

The two telecoms groups were not immediately available for comment.

These financial claims follow a 2015 decision by the French competition authority that fined Orange 350 million euros for abusing its dominant position to hold back competition in the corporate sector.

Full Content: Reuters

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