BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission said on Friday it had approved the proposed acquisition of French fibre optics operator by rival SFR FTTH controlled by Altice, Allianz and Omers, subject to conditions.
The Commission, which oversees competition policy in the 27-nation European Union, had concerns that the takeover would reduce competition in the wholesale market for fibre-to-the-office (FTTO) networks and could shut retail competitors from access to Covage’s fibre capacity at wholesale level.
Covage only sells fibre network access on the wholesale market, while SFR FTTH is active in both wholesale and retail markets. Reuters News