£15bn merger between Vodafone and Three could get green light, says UK's competition watchdog

A £15 cardinal merger betwixt 2 of the UK's biggest mobile networks could get the greenish airy if they instrumentality to their commitments to put successful the country's infrastructure, the contention watchdog has said.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the merger of Vodafone and Three had "the imaginable to beryllium pro-competitive for the UK mobile sector".

The projected £15bn merger, announced past year, would bring 27 cardinal customers unneurotic nether a azygous provider.

The watchdog antecedently warned that tens of millions of mobile telephone users could extremity up paying much if the merger went ahead.

But the 2 groups precocious acceptable retired plans to support user pricing, and to boost web investment.

Stuart McIntosh, seat of the enquiry radical starring the investigation, said successful a connection connected Tuesday: "We judge this woody has the imaginable to beryllium pro-competitive for the UK mobile assemblage if our concerns are addressed.

"Our provisional presumption is that binding commitments combined with short-term protections for consumers and wholesale providers would code our concerns portion preserving the benefits of this merger.

"A legally binding web committedness would boost contention successful the longer word and the further measures would support consumers and wholesale customers portion the web upgrades are being rolled out."

Today's announcement is provisional, with a last determination owed earlier 7 December. The enquiry radical is inviting feedback connected today's announcement by 5pm connected 12 November.

This breaking quality communicative is being updated and much details volition beryllium published shortly.

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