EE boss Olaf Swantee takes rivals to task over complaints about BT’s takeover
EE boss Olaf Swantee yesterday hit back at rivals attacking a proposed £12.5bn takeover by telecoms giant BT amid fears the deal will dilute competition in the sector.
“We have about 20 of our competitors who want to use lawyers to get a certain result, rather than using engineers to help them differentiate,” he said. “You always have these strong competitive responses to these moves but the combination of BT and EE does not remove competition.” Swantee added that customers will get additional benefits by buying several products from the same supplier.
The Competition and Markets Authority is currently holding an inquiry into the tie-up, with a final decision expected in November.
EE yesterday said turnover rose to £3.1bn, up 0.1 per cent over the half year period. The margin on adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose 2.2 percentage points.