Orange on Thursday was slapped with a €350 million antitrust fine for anticompetitive practices at Orange Business Services.
The penalty was levied by France’s Autorité de la Concurrence on the grounds that the incumbent artificially defended its position by withholding from rivals vital information about its copper local loop network. Orange was also ruled to have harmed competition through aggressive loyalty programmes that meant customers were not necessarily retained based on the merits of the services on offer.
Some of Orange’s anticompetitive practices were implemented as long ago as 2002 and subsequently discontinued, while others were rolled out more recently and are still in effect today.
"The fact that Orange has implemented these practices simultaneously for nearly 10 years is an aggravating factor," the watchdog said, noting that the telco has been sanctioned seven times over the last 15 years "for similar predatory practices and discrimination."
According to the competition authority, Orange has agreed to cooperate with its proposed remedies.
The telco will establish within 18 months a scheme that guarantees equivalent access to information about its copper local loop network, and amend or abolish its loyalty schemes. It will also pa y a fine of €350 million, the largest ever imposed on an individual company by the Autorité de la Concurrence.
"The victims of these practices are not only competing operators…but above all French companies, whatever their size," the watchdog said.
