France's three-way SFR deal to test EU's approach to telecom consolidation
By Andrew Boyce ( June 8, 2026, 17:57 GMT | Comment) -- Bouygues Telecom, Iliad and Orange's €20.35 billion deal to carve up rival French telecom operator SFR promises to test the way EU regulators apply their new draft merger guidelines and challenge the traditional resistance to having less than four market players. The unusual deal may also require the European Commission, French regulators, and the companies to manage a complicated interconnected regulatory approval process.Bouygues Telecom, Iliad and Orange's €20.35 billion ($23.48 billion) plan to carve up rival French telecom operator SFR between them promises to be a test case for regulators on various fronts....
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