CARPHONE WAREHOUSE WILL become the next mobile phone operator in Ireland.

The move was confirmed in a brief statement this morning by the company, which has traditionally sold contracts and hardware for the mobile service providers already operating in the country.

A spokesperson told TheJournal.ie  that more details will be announced shortly, with the deal set to be completed “soon”.

The retailer reportedly finalised an agreement last week with Hutchison Whampoa, which bought up the 02 network in Ireland earlier this year after securing approval for the deal from the EU’s competition authority.

Concerns had been raised over the market share the deal would give to Hong Kong-based giant Hutchison Whampoa, which already controls the Three Mobile network here.

Europe insisted that Three make efforts to aid smaller competitors as a condition of approving the deal.

Competitor Vodafone has raised a red flag over the merger, and is thought to be contemplating legal action to block the deal, which it argues will distort the market in Ireland.

The British operator is not alone in its stance, with the Irish domestic competition watchdog also raising concerns about the market dominance of one player after the takeover.

In a statement released last month ComReg said:

ComReg remains of the strong view that that the behavioural commitments are insufficient to address the structural competition deficit identified as likely to result from the proposed acquisition.

ComReg could not be reached for comment this morning.

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