Czech telecom merger takes effect July 1

PRAGUE, Czech Republic, May 2 (UPI) -- Czech Republic telecom operator Cesky has approved the consolidation of its wireless and fixed-line operations.

Spain's Telefonica acquired Cesky this spring and will consolidate Cesky with its Eurotel wireless unit as of July 1 and change the company's name to Telefonica O2 Czech Republic.

Czech Business Weekly said Tuesday that analysts expect the launch of O2 Czech to go smoothly and both slash overhead and appeal to consumers who have expressed unhappiness with the service provided by Eurotel.

Cesky officials said the next step will be the launch at a later date of Internet Protocol television and a bundle of converged products.