The projected plans to merge mobile phone operators Orange and T-Mobile into the UK’s biggest carrier have been put on hold due to British regulators’ concerns about weakening competition in the market.
This week the Office of Trading (OFT) has encouraged the European Commission to investigate the potential merger as it had the probability of “significantly” reducing the competition in the UK mobile market.
Both and Orange and T-Mobile had initially hoped to complete the amalgamation by the end of this month but mobile phones analysts predict that the true extent of this review could see it put back to as late as December.