Antitrust: Commission seeks feedback on commitments offered by T-Mobile CZ, CETIN, and O2 CZ concerning the Czech telecommunications market

1 Oct 2021 01:21 PM

The European Commission invites comments on commitments offered by T-Mobile CZ, CETIN, O2 CZ, and their respective parent companies, Deutsche Telekom and PPF, to address competition concerns in relation to the network sharing agreements (‘NSAs') between T-Mobile CZ, O2 CZ, and then Czech telecom infrastructure provider CETIN, as well as the Mobile Network Services Agreement (‘MNSA') between O2 CZ and CETIN.

In October 2016, the Commission opened a formal investigation into a network sharing agreement between O2 CZ and CETIN on the one hand and T-Mobile CZ on the other. In August 2019, the Commission sent Statements of Objections to T-Mobile CZ, CETIN and O2 CZ and later on to their parent companies, outlining its preliminary competition concerns. In August 2021, the Commission adopted a preliminary assessment within the meaning of Article 9(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 after carefully analysing all the arguments and evidence gathered.

According to the Commission's preliminary assessment, the NSAs and the MNSA may restrict competition in violation of Article 101(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (“TFEU”), which prohibits anti-competitive agreements. In particular, the Commission's preliminary analysis has shown that in light of market circumstances in Czechia, the NSAs and the MNSA might reduce the ability and incentives of T-Mobile CZ, CETIN and O2 CZ to unilaterally invest in network infrastructure and therefore may negatively affect the ability and incentives of T-Mobile CZ and O2 CZ to compete on the retail and wholesale markets for mobile telecommunications services in Czechia.

The proposed commitments

T-Mobile CZ, CETIN and O2 CZ and their respective parent companies offered the following commitments to address the Commission's competition concerns:

The proposed commitments with regard to the NSAs would remain in force until 28 October 2033. The proposed commitments with regard to the MNSA would apply for a period of (i) the term of the MNSA or (ii) the term of the NSAs whichever of those terms ends earlier. An independent trustee would be appointed by the Commission in order to monitor the parties' compliance with the commitments.

The Commission invites all interested parties to submit their views on the proposed commitments within one month from their publication in the Official Journal. Taking into account all comments received, the Commission will then take a final view as to whether the commitments sufficiently address competition concerns.

If this is the case, the Commission may adopt a decision making the proposed commitments legally binding on the parties under Article 9 of the EU's antitrust Regulation (Council Regulation (No) 1/2003).

Such a decision would not conclude that there is an infringement of EU antitrust rules but legally binds the committing companies to respect the commitments they have offered.

If a company breaks such commitments, the Commission can impose a fine of up to 10% of the company's worldwide turnover, without having to prove an infringement of the EU antitrust rules.

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