Reports: Orange, MasMovil EU approval imminent
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Reports: Orange, MasMovil EU approval imminent

Enseigne d'une boutique Orange, quartier de l'Opéra à Paris

Orange and MasMovil are set to receive conditional EU antitrust approval for their merger according to Reuters sources.

The move could indicate a change of stance after telcos urged regulators to ease their stance on consolidation.

Orange and MasMovil announced in 2022 that they would combine their operations in a 50-50 partnership for around €18.6 billion. The two are the second and fourth largest telecoms providers in Spain respectively.

The merger was the subject of an investigation by The European Commission and the approval is contingent on Romania’s Digi acquiring spectrum from MasMovil.

The Commission is due to decide on the deal by February 15, but warned that the deal could reduce competition in Spain.

The latest local reports on the Digi front indicate that Digi is close to acquiring the assets.

Digi has been expanding rapidly in the Spanish market and record more than 5.7 million customers at the end of the first half of 2023.

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