LONDON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Romanian telecoms firm Digi ( DGII )

said on Friday it had agreed to buy Portugal's

fourth-largest operator Nowo Communications from Spain's

MASMOVIL for 150 million euros ($162 million) as it prepares to

launch services in the country.

The acquisition follows last month's ruling by the

Portuguese competition authority barring a proposed acquisition

of Nowo by Vodafone Portugal, one of the three main

telecoms groups in the country.

Telecoms market regulator ANACOM warned the three major

operators in June not to obstruct Digi's ( DGII ) entry into the market,

and said it expected the company launch commercial operations

later this year. The market is almost entirely controlled by MEO

- owned by the Altice group - Portugal's NOS and

Vodafone Portugal.

Digi ( DGII ) won licences in October 2021 to launch 5G operations in

Portugal and has been building its own network for 5G services

and fixed fibre optic telecommunications.

Digi ( DGII ) said in a statement on Friday that Nowo has

approximately 270,000 mobile clients and 130,000 fixed

telecommunications clients, in addition to having also 5G

spectrum licences.

Nowo is onwed by MASMOVIL, which completed a merger with

Orange in March to create Spain's largest mobile

operator, MASORANGE.

Digi ( DGII ) said the acquisition price was "subject to customary

adjustments and certain contingent events".

Digi ( DGII ) also operates in Spain, where its aggressive offers

have heightened competition, and Italy.

($1 = 0.9241 euros)