Orange Sees German Mobile Merger Approval Triggering Shakeup

Orange SA, France’s biggest phone company, said regulatory approval of Telefonica SA and Royal KPN NV’s proposal to combine their German assets would trigger a shakeup in Europe’s telecommunications industry.

“If Germany accepts to go from four carriers to three, it will create an earthquake in Europe,” Chief Executive Officer Stephane Richard said in Paris yesterday. “It will force other countries to reconsider their positions on consolidation.”