Numericable makes its case to competition regulator

Numericable’s LaBox Fibre

French cable operator Numericable and owner Altice have submitted a revised series of commitments to the country’s competition regulator as they seek to secure approval for Altice’s acquisition of Vivendi-owned telco SFR, according to local reports.

Altice-Numericable met the regulator yesterday morning. The competition watchdog also heard from different player sin the market, including rival operators’ views of which aspects of the combination presented a competition concerns.

According to French press reports, the competition authority has met with a potential buyer of Outremer Telecom, Numericable’s sister company for Mayotte and Réunion, where the merger would give it a dominant position.

Other areas that pose problems include governance of the combined entity after Vivendi takes a 20% stake in the new firm, the company’s position in the enterprise market, and its position in the very high-speed broadband market.

French newspaper Le Monde, citing a source close to the regulator, said that Numericable had been cooperative and had already improved its proposals.

The competition authority is expected to rule on the acquisition by the end of this month.