A BOSS overseeing a potential £12.5bn takeover of a North-East telecoms employer has warned competitors not to block the deal.

BT says its move for EE, which is Darlington’s largest private employer with about 2,000 call centre staff, will deliver better internet access.

The proposed deal is being assessed by the Government’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over its potential impact on the marketplace.

However, both BT and EE say it will deliver better competition and give customers greater choice.

Olaf Swantee, chief executive of EE, which employs hundreds of workers in Doxford, Sunderland, and Cobalt Business Park, near Newcastle, warned the plans should not be derailed by “self-interested companies.”

Pointing to the benefits of the merger between T-Mobile and Orange, which allowed EE to increase 4G coverage, Mr Swantee said: “Competitors only want to put up roadblocks, while we want to build motorways.

“The success of the UK will be built on its ability to deliver information through leading technology.

“Bringing BT and EE together makes that possible.”

If approved by the CMA, the takeover will make BT one of the top ten largest companies in the region, giving it an 8,800-strong workforce.

A decision is expected by the end of March next year.

Mr Swantee’s warning came as figures showed EE generated the most complaints from landline and broadband customers, while BT had the highest volume of pay TV complaints.

Ofcom said EE continued to generate the most complaints among landline providers, driven by difficulties customers faced when changing provider, with its broadband division criticised for faults and service levels.

An EE spokeswoman said: “The number of mobile complaints has fallen significantly and we expect to reflect this trend in complaints across landline and broadband.”

EE previously told The Northern Echo no jobs will be immediately affected in the takeover deal, with bosses expecting it to continue in its current guise throughout 2015 as the agreement is finalised.

However, BT said it was too early to confirm what, if any, changes to North-East jobs would be made.