Last November's announcement that France Telecom and Danish telecoms company TDC had agreed to merge their Swiss mobile operations - Orange Switzerland and Sunrise – seems to have come to naught.
The Swiss Competition Commission says the merger won't be permitted because it would give the new French-controlled company a market position that was too strong. Swisscom is currently market leader in the Swiss telecommunications market.
In a statement, France Telecom and TDC said they would "assess their available options regarding potential next steps".