The new competition commissioner for the EU has warned telecoms operators that recent mergers and acquisitions in the sector must not lead to a rise in prices.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Margrethe Vestager explained that her "one interest" was to ensure that consumers, including citizens and businesses, can "enjoy relatively innovative markets at affordable prices."
She also talked up the wider benefits of keeping healthy competition in the market, commenting that, "so far it seems as if it is still competition that will lead to investment and not the other way round."
The comments come in the wake of extensive M&A activity in the telecoms industry. In the UK, Three owner Hutchinson Whampoa is set to acquire O2, although it is not yet clear whether this deal will be scrutinised by EU or UK watchdogs.
Mergers have also occurred elsewhere in Europe, including in Austria, Ireland and Germany.
The telecoms industry can be prone to monopolies run by large players, due to the high overheads involved.
Gartner analyst Charlotte Patrick commented that the market may now be inhospitable to new players, commenting to CBR that it is "probably not going to attract any more entrepreneurs."
