Swedish Carriers Raided by EU Over Anti-Competition Concerns

Sweden’s biggest mobile-phone companies were raided by European Union antitrust investigators over concerns they may have conspired to prevent others from offering services to consumers, according to Bloomberg.

Those raids are a preliminary step in investigating suspected antitrust rules and don’t mean that the companies are guilty of anti-competitive behavior, the European Commission said in an emailed statement. The regulator didn’t specify what suspected practices “preventing entry into the consumer segment“ it was investigating.

Telia, Tele2 and Telenor all confirmed the European Union had started a probe regarding competition in Sweden or possible abuse of their collective dominant position, and said they’d cooperate fully. CK Hutchison’s 3, the fourth major carrier in the Nordic country of 10 million people, couldn’t immediately be reached to comment. The four companies dominate the wireless market in Sweden with a combined market share of about 97 percent, according to the country’s Post and Telecom Authority.