Norwegian telecom company Telenor is said to be ready to begin the process of acquiring its competitor Tre in Sweden. This is the belief of several experts in the telecom industry who have been in contact with Dagens industri.

Consolidation is said to be possible after the European Commission was influenced by the Draghi report from last fall. The report calls for fewer operators in order to strengthen the EU's competitiveness.

Several sources contacted by Di say that the pressure has intensified.

At the same time, Telenor itself is keen on acquisitions, as revealed in a March interview with CEO Benedicte Schilbred Fasmer in the Norwegian business newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv.

"If there are more than three players in a single country, none of them will be able to achieve sufficient profitability to make major investments. This is a particularly strong argument for consolidating the markets in Sweden and Denmark. We will take this into account," she said.

Given that Telenor and Tre are ranked third and fourth in the Swedish market, there is much to suggest that they are part of a potential deal. Anything else would meet with resistance from regulators.

In Sweden and Denmark, Tre is 60 percent owned by the Hong Kong-listed conglomerate CK Hutchison. The remaining 40 percent is owned by the Wallenberg family's powerhouse company Investor.