Press Release: Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Hutchison’s take-over of Orange Austria

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation under the EU Merger Regulation into the planned acquisition by Hutchison 3G Austria ("3") of its competitor Orange. Both companies provide mobile telephony services in Austria.

The Commission’s initial market investigation has found that the proposed acquisition may create significant competition problems by removing Orange as a competitor in the retail market for end consumers and on the wholesale market for network access and call origination.