Brussels, 07/07/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission announced that the American company Microsoft was giving up taking control, in conjunction with Liberty TV of the company Telewest, a British broad band operator, and that it would withdraw its notification of the deal. Microsoft, undertook to keep a minority stake of 23.7% in Telelwest. "Consequently, the Commission will not take any further action with regard to this operation" announced the competent services.
Microsoft had notified its plans last February. The Commission had serious concerns as the operations compatibility with the Treaty due to its impact on competition for the supply in software for digital decoders and had opened an in-depth investigation into this last 22 March (see EUROPE of 23 March, p.13).