Confirmed: EU approves Deutsche Telekom-Tele2 deal in the Netherlands

The European Commission has unconditionally approved Deutsche Telekom’s acquisition of Tele2 in the Netherlands, concluding that the merger raises no competition concerns.

The deal will see the Netherlands’ third largest mobile operator, T-Mobile Netherlands, merge with fourth-place provider Tele2, creating a company that will remain the third-largest player on the Dutch market after KPN and VodafoneZiggo.

“Access to affordable and good quality mobile telecom services is essential in a modern society,” said Margrethe Vestager, the EU commissioner in charge of competition policy.

“After thoroughly analysing the specific role of T-Mobile NL and the smaller Tele2 NL in the Dutch retail mobile market, our investigation found that the proposed acquisition would not significantly change the prices or quality of mobile services for Dutch consumers.”

The confirmation follows reports earlier this week suggesting that the deal was set to get anti-trust approval from the EU.

Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile Netherlands agreed to acquire Tele2 NL last December in exchange for €190 million cash and a stake of 25% in the combined company.