EU regulators extend decision on Orange, MasMovil deal to Sept 4

EU antitrust regulators have extended the deadline for their decision on Orange and MasMovil’s 18.6-billion-euro ($20.5 billion) Spanish telecoms tie-up to Sept. 4, according to a European Commission filing on Friday.

The deal between Spain’s second-largest telecoms provider and fourth-ranked MasMovil announced in July last year is seen as a test of whether EU regulators will loosen their tough line on telecoms consolidation.

The Commission opened a full-scale investigation earlier this month, warning that the deal would eliminate an innovative and significant rival in Spain that could result in higher prices and lower quality of telecoms services. Reuters