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Regulator opposes Orange Austria MVNO sale to Telekom Austria
30 March 2012
Competition body objects to sale of Orange Austria’s operator Yesss! to rival Telekom Austria
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Hutchison Whampoa
3 Austria
Telekom Austria
Orange
Yesss!
Austria’s competition
regulator is opposing the sale of Orange Austria – held 35% by France
Telecom-Orange and 65% by private-equity investor MEP – to Hutchison Whampoa,
which owns 3 Austria.
The regulator is
concerned about Hutchison’s intention to sell Orange Austria’s wholly-owned
mobile virtual network operator Yesss!, along with some spectrum and network
assets, to incumbent operator Telekom Austria, reports the Financial Times
Deutschland.
This sale would add
750,000 subscribers and raise Telekom Austria’s market share by five percentage
points to 47%.
T
heodor Thanner, director general of the Austrian Federal Competition Authority,
is refusing to approve the deal in its current form, and discussions to come up
with possible solutions have currently collapsed, said the report.
Hutchison is said to be ready to abandon the €1.3 billion deal – which was
finalised in February – if the transfer of Orange assets to Telekom Austria is
blocked. GTB