European regulators set to clear Orange and T-Mobile merger

European regulators are set to approve the merger of Orange and T-Mobile.

It is understood that the European Commission is to fast-track the deal after overcoming the concerns of the UK’s Office of Fair Trading, which referred the proposed merger to Brussels last month.  

The merged business will create the UK’s biggest mobile phone operator with about 30 million customers and 37% of the market.

According to reports, Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile and France Telecom’s Orange have agreed to give up some bandwidth, allaying some of the concerns of the OFT and broadcasting regulator, Ofcom.

Ofcom has previously warned that the merger between Orange and T-Mobile could trigger an in-depth review of the UK’s mobile market.

The two brands are expected to continue to use the Orange and T-Mobile names once the merger is complete.

The Commission has until March 1 to decide whether to pass the inquiry back to UK regulators.