M&A — Assembly — Regulation Updates

M&A,M&A

Portugal: Vodafone/Nowo merger blocked

Despite being in line with the preliminary view, there is still a chance the AdC’s decision could be appealed directly to the Minister of Economy, although this mechanism has only been invoked (successfully) once before

EC: Protecting competition in a changing world

DG COMP research shows that mobile prices in the EU are consistently lower than in the US, but that consolidation tends to increase prices and may not deliver greater investment

UK: Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 extend network sharing agreement

Together with a balancing of spectrum across industry, the announcement boosts the chances of a Three/Vodafone merger

Event debrief: ISPA ISP Business Summit 2024

Consolidation and the ‘right number’ of fibre networks dominated discussions, with the ultimate survival of some altnets the elephant in the room

Three/Vodafone in the UK: The merging parties’ case to the CMA

Responding to the CMA’s critical Phase 1 assessment, the parties emphasise that the deal will be pro-competitive, enhancing network performance and benefiting consumers

Three/Vodafone in the UK: The rivals’ views on the proposed merger

The pressure is on for the merging parties to evidence the benefits of the deal and outline a meaningful set of commitments

A new market structure for broadband in Italy

The sale of TIM’s fixed-line infrastructure is not expected to affect competition at the wholesale level, but the Government will be watching developments closely

Mobile market consolidation in the US

T-Mobile claims acquiring UScellular will boost competition, but M&A in such a concentrated market will attract scrutiny over the potential effects on pricing and consumers

The UK’s framework for regulating online platforms

Though the DMCC Act diverges in the details when compared to the EU’s DMA, the laws both reflect a growing global scrutiny for mergers and acquisitions in tech markets

Regulating AI competition in the UK

The CMA’s early and active agenda for addressing the competitive risks posed by AI stands in stark contrast to the Government’s more pro-innovation approach