To consolidate or not – when will Europe stop messing it up?

The question that has pitched the European Commission (hereafter known as the Gaggle of Red-tapers) against the industry for years is: will consolidation hinder or aid the telco market?
From a regulatory perspective the message is clear; thou shall not consolidate. For a reason which has not been fully explained, the Gaggle has got the number four fixed in their minds. It’s a possible explanation as to why the Three/O2 merger was burned in the UK, but there is an element of sense to i