Anyone currently investment planning in Cheshire and looking for tech opportunities may want to consider that mobile telecommunications giants Vodafone and Three UK are set to merge in a £15 billion deal.
This is following regulators saying they were satisfied by the operators’ promises to protect customers.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been studying the merger between the two companies since it was proposed in the summer, warning at the time that less competition would see considerably higher phone bills for millions of people across the UK.
However, to reassure the CMA and alleviate such fears, Vodafone and Three UK have since unveiled a number of measures. This includes a commitment to cap their cheapest mobile plans at £10 for 24 months and an eight-year investment strategy to roll out 5G nationwide.
In a statement, the CMA said that the plans would address competition concerns and facilitate the merger’s progress to the next phase.
The merged company would moreover need to be able to contractually commit to safeguarding millions of existing customers’ data plans and mobile tariffs for a minimum of three years, as well as contract terms and pre-agreed prices guaranteeing ‘competitive’ wholesale packages.
To further protect customers, the companies would be legally obliged to follow through with their proposals, overseen by telecommunications watchdog Ofcom and the CMA itself.
Welcoming the 5G investment programme, the regulator said that it would enhance the merged entity’s mobile network, thus increasing competition in the longer term and acting in the public interest. The final decision will come before the statutory deadline on December 7.
