Spain: Spanish regulator warned of threat to telco TV competition

FACUA-Consumidores en Acción has filed a report to Spain’s Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) alleging a potential anti-competitive deal between telecommunication companies Telefónica, Vodafone and Orange.

According to FACUA, the three major telecoms have tried to agree similar price increases across each of their respective pay-TV, Internet and phone packages, thus breaking competition regulations in the country.

“Users suffer the consequences of a market controlled by an oligopoly which is not actually competing and continuously increases rates, taking advantage of a lack of regulatory limits,” it said. FACUA also claimed that competitive conditions have worsened since the larger telecoms bought out the smaller players and the market consolidated.

Research tends to support FACUA’s arguments, showing that prices of pay-TV and convergent packages have increased by 15% over the last year. In addition, at the beginning of 2018, Telefónica, and Orange carried out a new rate increase, while Vodafone has announced a raise in prices for April.

Full Content: Television Hispana

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