The decision follows “an in-depth investigation” of the proposed acquisition by the Commission.
The Commission came to the decision that Orange must pave the way for Telenet’s entry into the Walloon region and parts of Brussels in the immediate future.
It expects Orange to do this by providing specific services to Telenet for the next 10 years.
These commitments, the Commission says, fully address the competition concerns it had previously identified.
The approval was welcomed by Xavier Pichon, chief executive officer at Orange Belgium.
We are thrilled by the decision of the European Commission,” he said.
“After more than 25 years of Orange's presence in Belgium, the acquisition of VOO is a major step and will enable us to operate a very high-speed network in Wallonia and part of Brussels, thereby reinforcing the deployment of our convergent multigigabit strategy at a national level.
“Our ambitious investment plan, in combination with VOO's and Orange's skills and expertise, will strengthen the quality of our offers to the customers and ensure competitiveness in the Walloon and Brussels regions.”
Orange is the second biggest mobile provider in Belgium while VOO, along with Brutélé, are the second biggest provider of fixed telecommunication in the areas covered by their fixed networks.
