EU antitrust regulators set April 11 deadline for Orange's Belgian deal

GSMA's 2022 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona
Logo of French telecom operator Orange is seen during GSMA's 2022 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

BRUSSELS, Jan 31 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators will decide by April 11 whether to clear Orange's (ORAN.PA) bid for a majority stake in Belgian peer VOO SA after the French telecoms provider signed a deal with Liberty Global's (LBTYA.O) Telenet (TNET.BR) to address EU competition concerns.

The European Commission temporarily halted its investigation into the deal in October while waiting for Orange to reach an agreement allowing Telenet to expand into Wallonia in the south of Belgium that would make it a national operator and rival.

Orange and Telenet reached an agreement on Monday.

The EU competition enforcer will seek feedback from competitors and customers before deciding whether to nod through Orange's VOO deal allowing it to gain control of the latter's cable network in the Wallonia region and part of the Brussels area.

Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Barbara Lewis

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