The European Commission (EC) dropped an 18-month long investigation into allegations of collusion by the big four mobile operators in Sweden, three of the companies announced.

Telenor, Telia and Tele2 each issued brief statements revealing the EC had informed them of the closure of the probe with no further action. Tre Sweden, the fourth operator involved, apparently did not issue a statement, however its competitors’ announcements confirmed the EC’s move covered all four operators.

Telia stated the Commission and Swedish authorities commenced the investigation by visiting the offices of all four operators on 25 April 2017. Investigators had questions “on coordinated behaviour in the Swedish mobile wholesale market” the operator explained.

Rival Telenor referred to its original statement on the matter, which explained the EC was probing “possible abuse of a collective dominant market position and/or possible anti-competitive practices”. Tele2 simply stated it had received notification of the closing of the investigation.