French watchdog looking again at Numericable-SFR

France’s competition watchdog has begun investigating whether cable operator Numericable and telco SFR began acting in concert before the acquisition of the latter by the former was greenlit by the regulator, according to local press. 

The competition authority has begun looking into whether Numericable effectively took control of SFR, for example in matters related to the signing of commercial contracts, ahead of receiving a green light from the regulator in October last year, according to a report in Le Figaro, citing a source close to the enquiry.

According to the report, the authority was prompted to look again at the acquisition after rival operators Orange, Free and Bouygues Telecom brought the matter to its attention.

The operators noted in particular that SFR launched an offering based on Numericable’s advanced box, La Box TV Fibrfe, in mid-November, immediately after Numericable was granted permission to go ahead with the acquisition of its larger rival.