Belgian Council of State rules against Telenet Interkabel deal

The Belgian Council of State has struck down a 2008 agreement whereby Liberty Global-backed cable operator Telenet acquired the homes served by the Interkabel cable networks owned by Flemish municipalities.

The Council, acting on a complaint by Telenet rival Belgacom, ruled that Interkabel should have been open to competitive offers.

The Interkabel-Telenet agreement of 2008, which Telenet acquired 800,000 TV homes served by four municipal operators – Integan, Intermedia, PBE and WVEM – expanded an earlier agreement from 1996 that allowed Telenet to market broadband and telephony services to InterKabel customers.