Light Reading – Orange & Hutch: A Tale of Two Takeovers
While Hutchison faces apparent opposition from both UK and European authorities, its deal has been referred to the European Commission (EC). That is not cause for optimism. Since becoming the European Commissioner for Competition in late 2014, Danish politician Margrethe Vestager has taken a hard line against merger activity in the mobile sector, blocking a tie-up between TeliaSonera AB (Nasdaq: TLSN) and Telenor ASA (Nasdaq: TELN) in her native country. Bengt Nordström, the CEO of consulting and analyst firm Northstream , does not expect Hutchison to get the green light but hopes he will be wrong. “It will send a negative signal to the investment community,” he told Light Reading during a conversation at last month’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
