Romania’s largest operator, Digi Communications (Digi), has announced that it is set to acquire Telekom Romania Mobile (Telekom Romania), the local operator owned by Deutsche Telekom’s Greek subsidiary, OTE Group.
Telekom Romania is the country’s fourth-largest telecom provider, following Orange, Vodafone, and Digi, with approximately 3.9 million subscribers. Previously owned by the Romanian state, Telekom Romania has been majority-owned by OTE since 2009.
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In a stock filing, it has been confirmed that the key terms and conditions of the acquisition by West Network Invest, an investment vehicle primarily owned by Digi and partially owned by Romanian media company, Clever Media, have been finalized.
The filing also stated that Telekom Romania Mobile will continue to operate as an independent telecommunications provider, rather than merging with Digi. However, it remains uncertain if this separation will be enough to satisfy the national competition regulator.
“From a competitive point of view, it’s much more complicated because Digi Romania is a big player on the market,” said Bogdan Chirițoiu, President of Romania’s Competition Council. “The analysis of this transaction will be a priority operation and we will allocate resources, but it is not a simple case,” he continued.
Chirițoiu also confirmed that the Competition Council would receive an official notification in the coming weeks, while the authority's decision is expected by the end of the year.
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