UK telecoms regulator does not rule out mobile network consolidation

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Britain's telecoms regulator Ofcom
said it would assess potential consolidation in the mobile
market on a case-by-case basis rather than taking a fixed view
on an appropriate number of networks.

Ofcom had opposed the proposed merger between Three and O2
in 2015 because it wanted to retain competition between four
networks. The merger was blocked.

"The question of whether a particular merger is likely to
result in a substantial lessening of competition will turn on
the effectiveness of competition that can be expected in the
market after the merger, rather than just the number of
competitors," it said on Wednesday in a discussion paper on its
future approach to mobile markets.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by William James)