competition

Competition in the communications sector is complex and fast-changing. This presents both risks and opportunities to providers, as well as challenges for public authorities.

Our competition intelligence services help organisations understand the changing face of competition. We help them grasp the commercial and policy implications of new developments, and make decisions with efficiency and confidence.

Offered on a subscription basis, the service includes alerts, reports, and a database of case summaries written in English. You can also contact our competition law experts at any time for answers to specific questions.

To see how we can help you, get in touch for a personal demo.

antitrust & mergers

Our Antitrust & Mergers service makes it simple to follow key trends in competition law and its enforcement. Covering the telecoms, media and postal sectors, as well as the digital economy, our intelligence helps leaders:

    • Stay informed on developments in abuse of dominance cases, covering infringements such as excessive pricing, predatory pricing, margin squeeze, self-preferencing, and tying and bundling.
    • Access data on the actions taken across the EU to address potentially anti-competitive agreements, such as network co-investment and sharing, and online sales restrictions in distribution agreements.
    • Track merger control cases to understand the wider implications of market consolidation for competition in Europe.

state aid & subsidies

Our State Aid & Subsidies service offers intelligence on EU rules designed to ensure that public support measures in telecoms and the digital economy do not unduly distort competition and private investment. The principal focus of the service lies in the application of state aid rules to subsidised broadband deployment and take-up measures.

Subscribe to our State Aid & Subsidies intelligence service to:

    • understand the allowances and limits of public funding for broadband under EU state aid rules
    • follow the enforcement of these rules in relation tother developments, such as unfair advantages in spectrum auctions and big tech taxation
    • gain insights into key EU funding initiatives in telecoms and the digital economy, such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF)
    • understand the implications of the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR)

     

Latest Antitrust & Mergers intelligence

UPC alleged abuses in retail fixed broadband 2017
27 February 26 Miklós Kozma

Update: The Hungarian competition authority fined One Hungary, as the legal successor of UPC Hungary, HUF 24m (€62,095) for breaching some of the commitments UPC made in 2017 to settle an antitrust investigation concerning the retail fixed internet access market.

Allegro possible e-commerce logistics self-preferencing (pending case)
26 February 26 Miklós Kozma

The Polish competition authority is investigating e-commerce company Allegro for a possible abuse of dominance. According to the authority, Allegro’s online marketplace may be favouring its own and its partners’ logistics services.

Getty Images/Shutterstock merger (pending case)
26 February 26 Miklós Kozma

Update: The UK Competition and Markets Authority is consulting until 12 March 2026 on the interim findings of its in-depth investigation into Getty Images’ proposed acquisition of Shutterstock. According to the interim findings, the transaction would harm competition in the UK market for editorial content by further entrenching Getty Images’ leading market position. In the global market for stock content, on the other hand, the merged entity would face sufficient competitive constraints, including from generative AI.

Latest State Aid & Subsidies intelligence

Broadband state aid spending in the EU: latest figures
15 February 26 Janne Kalliala

According to the latest available European Commission data, EU member states spent a total of €4.59bn on broadband state aid in 2024. This was 12% less than in 2023.

Foreign Subsidies Regulation: European Commission’s new guidelines
18 January 26 Janne Kalliala

The guidelines aim to enhance legal certainty by explaining how the Commission assesses distortions in the EU internal market caused by subsidies granted by non-EU countries, and how it uses its investigatory powers.

Deployment of passive 5G mobile infrastructure in rural areas of the Czech Republic 2023 and 2025
10 November 25 Grégoire Henno

The Czech authorities reported to the European Commission an amendment to a CZK 300m state aid measure to support the deployment of passive 5G mobile infrastructure in rural areas. The amendment extended the deadline for aid beneficiaries to deploy the subsidised networks by three months, until 30 June 2026.

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