EU regulators resume Orange, Jazztel 3.4 billion euro merger scrutiny
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union antitrust regulators have resumed their scrutiny of Orange's bid for Spanish peer Jazztel after the French telecoms operator provided details of the 3.4-billion-euro (2.6 billion pounds) deal as requested.
The European Commission, which halted its probe on Jan. 14, said on Tuesday that it would now decide on the proposed takeover by April 30 versus a previous deadline of April 24.
A person familiar with the deal said regulators had a list of as many as 60 questions to which they wanted answers.
The EU watchdog opened an in-depth investigation into the deal in December last year, worried that it would reduce competition for fixed Internet access and fixed-mobile multiple play offers in Spain and lead to price increases.
The Commission also rejected concessions offered by Orange, France's largest telecoms provider, as insufficient.
Orange is seeking to reinforce its presence in Spain where it competes with market leader Telefonica and Vodafone.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Jason Neely)
