French telco Orange expects to complete its full takeover of the carrier’s Spanish JV MásOrange next month.

As reported by El Economista, Orange is closing in on acquiring Lorca’s 50 percent stake in MásOrange for €4.25 billion ($4.9bn), after the company submitted documentation to the European Commission last Friday (March 13). Lorca is owned by private equity funds Cinven, KKR, and Providence.

The publication reports that Orange expects to conclude the takeover before April 22.

The agreement was first revealed at the end of October, when Orange signed a non-binding agreement to explore the takeover. A binding agreement was then signed in December.

Orange and MásMóvil finalized their merger in Spain last year to create the country’s biggest mobile operator. As such, both telcos had a 50 percent stake in the newly formed MásOrange.

First announced back in 2022, the merger was estimated to be worth €18.6 billion ($21.5bn) and created a combined business of more than 37 million customers, including mobile and fixed-line subscribers.

The proposed takeover is deemed a Phase I merger, meaning the EC has 25 working days to decide on an outcome. El Economista reports that the acquisition of the shares is on schedule and won’t analyze concerns around market share or turnover.

Spain is an important market for Orange as it’s the company’s second-largest European market after its home market in France.

A separate report by the newspaper Expansión revealed that MásOrange has kicked off its 3G shutdown in the country, beginning in Zamora and Roquetas de Mar (Almería).

The initial shutdown is part of a pilot that will extend to other parts of Spain throughout 2026 and into next year. Orange’s 2G network will continue to remain operational until December 2030, as this network provides connectivity to services such as elevators.