The New Role of Competition Law in the IT World

Mergers in the Telecommunication Sector – the Telenor/Telia Merger
In 2015 Scandinavian telecom operators Telenor ASA and TeliaSonera AB abandoned plans to combine their Danish operations after failing to secure European Competition authority’s approval for a $1.36 billion joint venture. Shortly after, the Commission refused approval for yet another merger – that between Three and O2. The refusals signal a possible change in policy compared to the previous Commission’s practice of approvals. While there are those who believe that any consolidation in the telecommunications sector is to be discouraged, the increased pressure that traditional telcos face from, among others, OTT players and the decreased level of investment in next generation networks force the question of whether the present Commission might, in spite of extensive analysis, be out of touch. The panel will be looking at the industry’s needs and motivations, at the previous practice of merger approvals and at the present refusals and their impact on the future of EU telecommunications.

The panel consists of:
Hilde Tonne, ‎Danske Bank Group, Vattenfall, previously member of Telenor Group’s executive management and head of the proposed Telia/Telenor joint venture

Martin Dittmer, Partner, Head of EU & Competition, Gorrissen Federspiel, Copenhagen

Christian Bergqvist, Associate Professor, Copenhagen University

Andrej Savin, Associate Professor, CBS (moderator)

Registration: seminar.jur@cbs.dk
Participation is free.

Future events:
EU Competition Law and Cross-Border Barriers to Online Trade: Geoblocking
11 January 2017 - canceled
Social Media and Competition Law: Facebook
15 March 2017