France Telecom/TDC: consistently better

France Telecom seems to have got a better merger deal in Switzerland than in the UK. The French operator has agreed to combine its Orange Switzerland unit with Sunrise, owned by TDC of Denmark, to create a stronger rival to market leader Swisscom. In the UK, FT had to settle for a 50-50 joint venture with smaller rival Deutsche Telekom. FT is smaller in Switzerland, but is getting clear control. The French will get a 75 percent stake and three of five board members, while contributing only 40 p...