UK: BT’s £12.5 billon takeover of EE cleared by competition regulator

Competition watchdogs have sparked dismay at BT’s rivals after they gave unconditional approval to the telecoms giant’s £12.5bn takeover of EE.

The Competition and Markets Authority gave clearance to the landmark deal, saying it the combination of Britain’s biggest broadband provider and its biggest mobile operator will not harm consumers. No intervention was required to protect consumers, it added.

The preliminary decision follows a four-month investigation during which rivals such as Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone made a string of complaints over the potential impact on the market.

Vodafone said yesterday it disagreed with the CMA’s finding that it was unlikely that BT would have “both the ability and incentive” to harm competition. It claimed the merger will “negative impact on the market and the services available to millions of UK consumers and businesses” because of the established dominance of BT’s Openreach division in the market for connecting mobile masts together.

Full content: The Guardian

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