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3 Ireland responds to EC concerns about O2 deal
2014-02-03 17:09:00| Telecompaper Headlines
(Telecompaper) 3 Ireland has confirmed the receipt of a Statement of Objections from the European Commission. This sets out the concerns of the Commission in relation to its proposed acquisition of O2 Ireland from Telefonica. 3 Ireland said it was examining the Statement and would respond to the concerns. It added that the issuing of a Statement of Objections was not unexpected in the context of a Phase 2 merger investigation and the previous statements by the Commission that it would take a close look at in-country telecoms mergers going from four to three operators. The company insists that there is currently one clear dominant mobile player in Ireland, and that this gap will only increase without its acquisition of O2 Ireland. Three believes that mobile competition in Ireland will be better served by three credible operators with sufficient scale to compete for a total market of 4.6 million, than by the current market structure.
Tags: deal
ireland
concerns
o2
Category:Telecommunications