Tag: three
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The Vodafone/Three merger: the CMA seems inclined towards a gruelling remedy, but it’s not yet a done deal
The CMA never clears a merger on the basis of behavioural remedies. Such remedies do not deal with the source of the competition problem, they are susceptible to circumvention, they distort markets, and they are difficult to monitor. Everyone knows that. The CMA was so wedded to this principle that it was willing to die…
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Vodafone/Three switcheroo: would the introduction of a different fourth player get the merger through?
If Vodafone and Three merge, it will be the first time that the UK telecoms market would have less than four network operators since Orange and One2One entered the market in the early 1990s. The CMA would nowadays be expected to block 4-to-3 mergers, especially where there is little chance of a new market entrant,…
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Vodafone/Three: a standalone decision or a potential reversal of spectrum policy?
Spectrum is all around us. These invisible waves are essential for devices that communicate wirelessly. Whether using a mobile phone to make a phone call, send a text message or browse the web, the device will use spectrum to connect to a local mast and carry out your connection command. Only a finite amount of…
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Vodafone/Three: UK telecoms consolidation will be given a rough ride through the merger control process
The UK’s mobile sector is highly competitive. Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, has spent the last few decades carefully designing spectrum auctions and other measures to foster fierce competition among the four mobile network operators. I’m currently paying £10 ($12.70) per month for unlimited 5G data on the best network for coverage. When I was at…