(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/Kritchanut)
Three has filed a claim alleging EE failed to provide access to roughly half of the mast sites it was promised under a sharing agreement tied to the merger of T-Mobile and Orange, which formed EE — now owned by BT. According to the agreement, Three should have been able to use 3,300 of EE’s masts following that merger.
However, court documents submitted by Three state that EE has allowed access to only 1,301 mast sites, leaving Three with fewer than half of the sites it expected to deploy. Three says the shortfall has caused £127.9 million in damages so far, with projected future losses of about £39 million, and it is seeking a total of £167 million in compensation.
An EE spokesperson responded: “We are surprised that Three has taken the step of issuing proceedings, as we are in active discussions with them. We strongly reject the allegations, and we will contest them vigorously.”
As the smallest mobile network operator in the UK by subscriber numbers, Three has frequently expressed concerns about EE’s market position, concerns that grew after regulators approved BT’s acquisition of EE earlier this year. That approval prompted Three to make a £10 billion offer for O2, a bid that was blocked amid regulatory worries that reducing the number of major UK mobile operators from four to three would harm competition and lead to higher consumer prices.
We have approached Three for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.
Do you think Three deserves compensation? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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