The European Commission is seeking market comments on the expected impact of Facebook's proposed takeover of WhatsApp. The questionnaire sent to Facebook's rivals and telecom operators is part of the process of clearing the deal by competition regulators. The European Commission said it will decide by 03 October whether to approve the USD 10 billion takeover or extend the preliminary review into a wider probe.
In the questionnaire seen by Reuters, the EU regulator asked if the deal would have a negative, neutral or positive impact on users and customers in mobile messaging and social networks. The Commission also asked if mobile messaging services could substitute traditional voice calls, text messages and emails. It wanted to know whether Facebook advertisers would be able to switch to another type of advertising in the event of a price increase.
Facebook expects to close the deal this year. US regulators cleared the takeover in April.
