Competition Authority opposes Orange Austria deal - report

News Wireless Austria 26 MAR 2012
Competition Authority opposes Orange Austria deal - report
The sale of Orange Austria by France Telecom to Hutchison Whampoa, which owns smaller network operator 3 Austria, is facing opposition from Austrian competition authorities, reports the Financial Times Deutschland. All talks for alternative solutions are understood to have collapsed, and Competition Chief Theodor Thanner does not believe that he can recommend the deal in its current form. The main sticking point is the sale of Orange Austria's discount subsidiary Yesss! (with 750,000 customers) and some base stations and frequency packages to Telekom Austria. This would allow Telekom Austria to boost its market share from 42 to 47 percent. If the Competition Authorities block the sale of Orange Austria assets to Telekom Austria, then Hutchison is understood to be prepared to walk away from the EUR 1.3 billion deal.

Categories:

Mobile

Companies:

Orange Austria,  A1 Telekom Austria,  Yesss!,  France Telecom,  3 Austria,  Hutchison Whampoa

Countries:

Austria

Tags:

Voice services, Data services, Messaging, Company, Services, Corporate, M&A buyouts & divestments

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