Telenet commenced talks with Orange over a network access deal covering Belgian cable company VOO which could help to advance the French operator’s convergence ambitions in the country.

In a statement today (3 November) Telenet detailed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to guide future negotiations with Orange. Reuters reported any network access deal could alleviate competition concerns which hindered a move by the French operator to acquire VOO.

Orange Belgium agreed a deal to acquire 75 per cent minus one share of VOO from current owner Nethys in late 2021, in a transaction valued at €1.8 billion.

The deal was reported to be a blow to Telenet, which had ambitions to acquire the stake in VOO but was overlooked by Nethys.

At the time, Telenet argued its deal would have benefitted the overall competitive landscape in the Wallonia and Brussels regions where VOO operates.