FRANKFURT -(Dow Jones)- The German cartel office is prepared to approve the takeover of cable network operator Kabel Baden-Wuerttemberg by Liberty Global Inc.'s (LBTYA) German Unitymedia unit, after Unitymedia agreed to make far-reaching concessions, according to the latest issue of German monthly Manager Magazin. A spokesman for the German cartel office said it hasn't yet reached a decision, and the deadline for a decision is Thursday. Unitymedia declined to comment on the report. The German anti-trust authority is now satisfied its concerns over the takeover are "remedied," the article quotes an alleged letter from the cartel office to the companies as saying. Manager Magazin says Unitymedia agreed to grant an exceptional cancellation right to housing associations it currently serves, involving hundreds of thousands contracts in rented apartments in Unitymedia and Kabel BW's distribution area. Unitymedia has also agreed to concessions in the market that involves the transmission of television signals through a digital network, Manager Magazin says. That could potentially give competitor Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE.XE) the option of installing fiber optic cables in households that already have cable connections, according to the report. Liberty agreed to buy Kabel BW for EUR3.16 billion from Swedish private-equity investor EQT in March. The European Commission in June transferred its antitrust review of the deal to the German cartel office. Magazine website: http://manager-magazin.de -Frankfurt Bureau, Dow Jones Newswires; 49-69-29725-500.
