The European Commission is set to announce its support for an agreement by mobile phone operators T-Mobile and mmO2 to share the costs of building new third generation infrastructure in Britain, the Financial Times reported today.
EU clearance for the deal between T-Mobile, a Deutsche Telekom division, and mm02, the former BT arm spun off last year, is expected within the next few days, the paper said.
The FT added that this follows indications that the Commission will approve a similar agreement between the two companies in Germany.
The move affecting Europe's two biggest telecoms markets will help reduce the heavy costs associated with the rollout of 3G services. Operators spent more than €100 billion on 3G licences but the launch of services has been hit by technical delays and weak demand.
T-Mobile and mm02 estimate their deal could save up to 30% of the costs of building 3G infrastructure, the Financial Times said.
