Telecom provider Proximus is defending itself with ten proceedings against the planned joint venture of rivals Telenet and network operator Fluvius. According to the Belgian company, the two parties have violated the law on several occasions, as reported by De Tijd.
The ten procedures concern alleged illegalities related to public procurement and regulations at EU and Flemish government level. It may take years for the Belgian Council of State to reach a decision, while Telenet and Fluvius have already planned to join forces.
De Tijd questioned this state of affairs, citing a source who stated that it is not a real legal offensive against the alliance. “If it were a real offensive, Proximus would have filed suspension requests or requested interim measures from a court. It’s more of a tickle.”
The joint venture has been running into all sorts of delays for years. The EU authorities are currently considering the cooperation. Telenet has already approached the Council of State to intervene, although it is not afraid that the plans for cooperation with Fluvius would be jeopardized.
Joint ventures are also taking place on the Dutch market to accelerate the spread of fiber optics. For example, KPN and pension fund APG have joined forces with Glaspoort, with GlasDraad recently taking over half.
