VIENNA/PARIS: When the number of mobile network operators competing in Austria was cut by a merger from four to three in January 2013 it was seen as an important test case just as a deal-making frenzy was about to break out among telecoms firms across Europe.
Yet two years after Hutchison Whampoa bought larger local rival Orange Austria for €1.3bil (RM5.48bil), there is still no consensus as to whether Austrians are better off in terms of coverage or service, and regulators and operators are disputing whether consumers are paying more.