Europe: EU regulator grants permission for Orange and MásMóvil merger in Spain

The European Union's antitrust regulator has granted telecoms firms Orange and MásMóvil permission to complete their proposed merger in Spain. This comes after MásMóvil agreed to divest spectrum across three frequency spectrum bands to Romania's Digi.

EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement, "The commitments offered by the parties will enable Digi, the largest and fastest-growing mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in Spain, to replicate the strong competitive pressure exerted by MásMóvil.”

Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange commented, “Today’s announcement is a crucial moment for the future development of the Group in Europe. Our proposed Joint Venture with MásMóvil will create a single, stronger, and more sustainable player in Spain. By joining forces, we can scale, we can innovate, and we can drive investment in Spain for the benefit of consumers and businesses.”