EU Pledges to Assess Network Competition Amid Telecom Italia Row

The European Union will always evaluate networks’ independence carefully, antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said amid growing tension around Italy’s project to merge its wholesale broadband operators.

“The question is of course: Is that an independent wholesaler? Or would a wholesaler also have specific ties vertically to retailers?,” Vestager said on Friday, stressing this was the EU’s general policy and not a comment on specific companies. “That would be an important competition assessment and that would be our general approach no matter what country it would be concerned with.”