José M. Rodríguez Silva
Updated Tuesday, February 20, 2024-14:51
The European Commission approved this Tuesday with conditions the merger between
Orange and MásMóvil
in an operation that will give rise to the company with
the largest number of customers in Spain
.
The approval comes, as expected,
with the condition of selling electromagnetic spectrum to Digi
so that the Romanian operator, now the fourth largest company in the sector, can create its own mobile network, as MásMóvil had until now.
The Commission's approval comes after a process that has lasted almost two years since the companies will close a
definitive agreement in June
2022
to merge after long three-way negotiations between Orange, MásMóvil and Vodafone that will finally end with the union of the first two and, in the end, causing the third to leave the country.
The deal will create a company valued at €18.9 billion, making it the largest corporate transaction of 2024 and one of the largest deals seen in the recent Spanish business landscape.
The union of these companies will have more than 30 million mobile lines, 7.3 million broadband customers and 2.2 million television customers.