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EU: Hutch, Vimpelcom submit Italian merger

By  |  February 9, 2016

Hutchison Europe and Vimpelcom have formally notified the European Commission of their intention to merge their Italian fixed and mobile businesses.

The telcos made the filing on Friday, according to case information published by the Commission’s competition arm.

The Commission has set an initial deadline of 11 March to make a ruling in the case.

As they announced in August, the operators intend to bring together their 3 Italia and Wind businesses under Hutchison 3G Italy Investments, which is currently owned by Hutch but will become a 50:50 joint venture.

The firms value their combined business at €21.8 billion. Presuming the tie-up passes European Commission scrutiny, the merged entity – the companies have yet to share a brand name – will become a strong competitor for Telecom Italia.

Full content: Reuters

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