EU Commission Accepts Commitments From T-Mobile & Others On Network Sharing

The European Commission has made commitments offered by T-Mobile CZ, CETIN and O2 CZ, as well as their parent companies Deutsche Telekom and PPF Group, legally binding under EU antitrust rules. The companies must ensure that their network sharing agreements do not reduce infrastructure competition which enables competition and innovation in the wholesale and retail telecommunications markets in Czechia.

Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said “Network sharing agreements bring efficiencies, such as faster roll-out, cost savings and coverage in rural areas. But such cooperation can also dampen the incentives of mobile operators to independently improve their networks and services. The network sharing agreements between T-Mobile CZ, CETIN and O2 CZ did not strike the right balance for Czech mobile users. So today, the Commission made binding commitments offered by T-Mobile CZ, CETIN and O2 CZ that will keep the benefits of network sharing whilst removing technical and financial disincentives to unilateral deployments and limiting information exchange, all to the benefit of Czech mobile users. 

O2 CZ and T-Mobile CZ are major operators in the Czech retail and wholesale mobile telecommunications market. O2 CZ’s mobile infrastructure has been transferred to CETIN, a network infrastructure company belonging to the same corporate group.

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.