(Telecompaper) French telecom group Orange has hired Credit Suisse and Lazard banks to assess the potential acquisition of competitor Bouygues Telecom, a deal that could be worth more than EUR 6 billion, two people close to the matter told Reuters. The French government, which owns 27 percent of Orange, seeks a return to three MNOs to enable operators to invest in fibre. A combined Orange-Bouygues would have a 49 percent share of mobile subscribers and a 48 percent share of brodband customers. Remedies would include disposing of some customers, selling mobile frequencies and most of the Bouygues network to Iliad.