COMMISSION CLEARS GREEK MOBILE TELECOMS MERGER.

The European Commission has cleared the merger of Greece's third and fourth largest mobile telecoms operators. After a full investigation of the deal, competition authorities gave the go-ahead on January 13 to the takeover of Q-Telecom by Texas Pacific Group and Apax Partners, which jointly control rival mobile firm TIM Hellas. "The merger will create a stronger third alternative to the two leading mobile operators", said the Commission. At present, Q-Telecoms has a limited own network and is active mainly in Greece's largest cities. The industry is dominated by former incumbent Cosmote and multinational...