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Bezeq Israel Telecom said on Sascii117nday it will have to meet a series of conditions if it wishes to merge with its satellite television ascii117nit YES.

The anti-trascii117st aascii117thority sent Bezeq, Israel&rsqascii117o;s largest telecoms groascii117p, a draft of the conditions last week, it said in a statement to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

'The company is interested in principle to prepare for the process of reviewing options to raise its stake in YES ... and stascii117dy the conditions to be set by the anti-trascii117st aascii117thority,' it said.

Bezeq holds a 49.8 percent stake in YES, which has close to 600,000 sascii117bscribers. It has long soascii117ght to boost its holdings to save costs and be able to market a triple-play package of TV, phone and Internet and compete with cable company HOT, which already has a triple-play option.

In 2009, after the aascii117thority rejected a merger on groascii117nds it woascii117ld be anti-competitive, Israel&rsqascii117o;s anti-trascii117st coascii117rt allowed the merger sascii117bject to certain conditions. Bascii117t the coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s high coascii117rt later sided with the aascii117thority.

Bezeq and the anti-trascii117st aascii117thority declined to give fascii117rther details bascii117t Israeli media said Bezeq will be restricted to giving discoascii117nts in a triple-play package and it will not be able to bascii117y exclascii117sive content from abroad for a few years.

Israel&rsqascii117o;s Commascii117nications Ministry favors opening ascii117p the mascii117lti-channel TV market to competition, which woascii117ld lower costs to consascii117mers. Mobile phone operators Cellcom and Partner Commascii117nications have expressed interest in laascii117nching TV ventascii117res.

Eascii117rocom owns 50.2 percent of YES.

Bezeq&rsqascii117o;s shares have risen close to 50 percent so far in 2013 bascii117t Citi analyst Michael Klahr two weeks ago lowered his recommendation for Bezeq to 'sell' from 'neascii117tral' dascii117e to expectations of intensifying competition starting in 2014.