Call for UK review of mobile phone merger

THE merger of Orange and T-Mobile faced further scrutiny yesterday amid fears the tie-up will harm competition in the UK mobile phone market.

The Office of Fair Trading has asked the European Commission for the opportunity to examine the UK aspects of the deal, which would create the UK's largest mobile phone operator. The regulator said: "The OFT's initial view is that the joint venture threatens significantly to affect competition in mobile telecommunications in the UK."

The deal was announced last year as mobile phone operators struggle in a highly-saturated UK market.