{"id":39581,"date":"2024-11-05T07:32:03","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T07:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=39581"},"modified":"2024-11-05T09:05:52","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T09:05:52","slug":"cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html","title":{"rendered":"CMA Give Provisional Green Light to Vodafone and Three UK Merger UPDATE2"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Competition and Markets Authority<\/a> has today appeared to give a “provisional” approval to Vodafone<\/a> and Three UK<\/a>’s recently tabled commitments (here<\/a>) under their proposed merger (here<\/a>), which were intended to placate concerns that the deal could result in a \u201cSignificant Lessening of Competition<\/i>\u201d (SLC) in the mobile market. But it will require changes.
\n<\/p>\n

The merger itself, which would see Vodafone<\/a> retain a 51% slice of the business and CK Hutchison (Three UK<\/a>) hold 49%, has repeatedly been promoted as something that would be \u201cgreat for customers, great for the country and great for competition<\/em>,\u201d while also resulting in a major \u00a311bn<\/strong> investment to upgrade the UK\u2019s 5G<\/a> mobile (broadband) infrastructure and network coverage. This would be a big help to the government’s own 5G<\/a> targets.<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> The combined business aspires to reach more than 99% of the UK population with their 5G<\/a> Standalone (SA) network by 2034 and push fixed wireless access (mobile home broadband) to 82% of households by 2030, among other things.<\/div>\n

However, the CMA\u2019s investigation (here<\/a>) found that reducing the number of primary mobile operators from 4 to 3 would result in a \u201cSignificant Lessening of Competition<\/i>\u201d (SLC), giving rise to various concerns at the retail and wholesale level. Some examples include the risk of higher prices for consumers, reduced quality, job losses (not a matter for the CMA), dominance of spectrum ownership, tedious confidentiality issues with conflicting network sharing agreements (e.g. EE<\/a> and Three UK<\/a>) and less competition at the virtual operator [MVNO] level.<\/p>\n

The CMA also doubted the benefits and credibility of an expanded 5G SA roll-out, while at the same time noting that both operators were in fact \u201cviable and competitive businesses and that <\/em>they would continue to invest in their networks absent the Merger<\/em>\u201c. Despite those concerns, the CMA left the door open for a potential agreement by recommending some possible remedies (here<\/a>), which both Vodafone<\/a> and Three UK felt they could accommodate.<\/p>\n

The operators responded by setting out a series of headline commitments (here<\/a>), which included making their network coverage targets enforceable by Ofcom<\/a> (binding), divesting some radio spectrum bands to O2<\/a> (partly supported by Vodafone’s recent network sharing deal with VMO2 – here<\/a>), providing a new reference offer to satisfy MVNO providers and limited protections for some retail prices.<\/p>\n

The CMA’s Response<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The big question mark was over how the CMA might react, particularly since the proposed commitments seemed, in some areas (e.g. retail pricing), to be a bit weak. The competition authority had previously indicated that Vodafone and Three UK might need to set a higher bar of commitments in order to secure the green light.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the challenge for Vodafone and Three UK is to find a balanced set of commitments that make sense, while avoiding a situation that could remove too many of the merger’s potential benefits (i.e. making it economically and competitively unviable).<\/p>\n

The CMA has today given their verdict on all this, which provisionally finds that a multi-billion-pound commitment to upgrade the merged company\u2019s network across the UK, including the roll-out of 5G, combined with short-term customer protections “could solve competition concerns identified in September and allow the merger to go ahead<\/em>.” But the CMA will require some stronger commitments from the operators.<\/p>\n

The remedies proposed today would require Vodafone and Three to:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u27a4 Deliver their joint network plan \u2013 which sets out the network upgrade and improvements they will make through significant levels of investment over the next 8 years across the UK. This would be a legal obligation overseen by both Ofcom<\/a> \u2013 the telecoms regulator \u2013 and the CMA.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Commit to retain certain existing mobile tariffs and data plans for at least 3 years, protecting millions of current and future Vodafone \/ Three customers (including customers on their sub-brands) from short-term price rises in the early years of the network plan.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Commit to pre-agreed prices and contract terms to ensure that Mobile Virtual Network Operators can obtain competitive wholesale deals.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The deadline for responses to the new Remedies Working Paper on all this is 5pm on Tuesday 12th November 2024. But rather annoyingly, the CMA hasn’t yet published this paper in public (it’s expected later today), so we can’t yet analyse the detail. However, on the surface, it appears as if the CMA’s requirements, such as on areas like consumer pricing, appear to go further than the more restrictive approach proposed by the operators.<\/p>\n

Stuart McIntosh, Chair of the CMA Inquiry Group, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We believe this deal has the potential to be pro-competitive for the UK mobile sector if our concerns are addressed.<\/p>\n

Our provisional view is that binding commitments combined with short-term protections for consumers and wholesale providers would address our concerns while preserving the benefits of this merger.<\/p>\n

A legally binding network commitment would boost competition in the longer term and the additional measures would protect consumers and wholesale customers while the network upgrades are being rolled out.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The deadline for a final outcome is currently still 7th December 2024, although we suspect this proposal will be one that Vodafone and Three UK can accept (we’ll update with their formal response once it drops). However, many consumers will no doubt be concerned, particularly with respect to what might happen after the 3-year period of tariff protection expires (e.g. big price hikes).<\/p>\n

Take note that the tariff protections are unlikely to extend to stopping the usual mid-contract price hikes that mobile operators tend to deploy each year, as these are normally an allowable change. But we’ll need more detail before being able to confirm.<\/p>\n

UPDATE 7:58am<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first comments are coming in and Vodafone seems happy.<\/p>\n

A Vodafone spokesperson told ISPreview:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cVodafone and Three will need to study the Working Paper in detail, however from what the CMA has communicated so far this morning, we believe it provides a path to final clearance. The merger will be a catalyst for positive change. It will bring significant benefits to businesses and consumers throughout the UK, and it will bring advanced 5G to every school and hospital across the country.<\/p>\n

The CMA\u2019s final decision on the merger is due by 7 December, and we will continue to positively engage with them to resolve any outstanding matters.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

UPDATE 9am<\/strong><\/p>\n

We’ve had a full joint statement from Vodafone and Three UK.<\/p>\n

Vodafone and Three’s Response<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vodafone and Three (\u201cthe Parties\u201d) note the CMA\u2019s announcement that it will publish a Remedies Working Paper, for a final round of consultation.<\/p>\n

The Paper follows 18 months of extensive engagement between the CMA and the Parties, including the submission of detailed evidence, which highlights the pro-growth, pro-customer and pro-competitive benefits of the merger.<\/p>\n

The Parties welcome the CMA\u2019s recognition that the significant improvements in network quality delivered by their Joint Network Plan will, \u201cboost competition between mobile network operators in the long term and benefit millions of people who rely on mobile services.\u201d<\/p>\n

The merger is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the UK\u2019s digital infrastructure \u2013 which lags significantly behind its European peers \u2013 and for more than 50 million UK customers to benefit from a vastly better mobile experience.<\/p>\n

Vodafone and Three will need to study the Working Paper in detail. From what the CMA has communicated so far this morning, we believe it provides a path to final clearance.<\/p>\n

An appropriate balance appears to have been struck by ensuring that the significant benefits of the merged company\u2019s investments can be realised in full and at pace to the benefit of the country and its citizens, while addressing the CMA\u2019s stated concerns. However, it is essential that balance is preserved through to the end of the process, reflecting that the Parties have offered extensive remedies, including by making their future network roll-out fully enforceable.<\/p>\n

The merger will be a catalyst for positive change. It will bring significant benefits to businesses and consumers throughout the UK, and it will bring advanced 5G to every school and hospital across the country. The merger is also closely aligned with the Government\u2019s mission to drive growth and to encourage more private investment in the UK. As the Government has recognised, high quality digital networks are pivotal to this*, as all countries\u2019 future prosperity and technological advancement will be underpinned by world-class connectivity.<\/p>\n

The CMA\u2019s final decision on the merger is due on or before 7 December, and we will continue to positively engage with them to resolve any outstanding matters and secure approval.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Competition and Markets Authority has today appeared to give a “provisional” approval to Vodafone and Three UK’s recently tabled commitments (here) under their proposed merger (here), which were intended to placate concerns that the deal could result in a \u201cSignificant Lessening of Competition\u201d (SLC) in the mobile market. But it will require changes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39389,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,1645],"tags":[472,36,38,479,63,96],"class_list":["post-39581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk_isp_news","category-key_uk_isp_industry_developments","tag-business","tag-ofcom-regulation","tag-politics","tag-security","tag-three-uk","tag-vodafone"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/mastodon.social\/@ispreview\/113429186145455003","error":""},"yoast_head":"\nCMA Give Provisional Green Light to Vodafone and Three UK Merger UPDATE2 - ISPreview UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Competition and Markets Authority has today appeared to give a "provisional" approval to Vodafone and Three UK's recently tabled commitments (here)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CMA Give Provisional Green Light to Vodafone and Three UK Merger UPDATE2 - ISPreview UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Competition and Markets Authority has today appeared to give a "provisional" approval to Vodafone and Three UK's recently tabled commitments (here)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ISPreview UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ispreview\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ispreview\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-05T07:32:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-05T09:05:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nggallery_import\/Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Picture.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark Jackson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ispreview\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ispreview\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mark Jackson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mark Jackson\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/de66a8b4e937c21c80e443d1bf9c35d5\"},\"headline\":\"CMA Give Provisional Green Light to Vodafone and Three UK Merger UPDATE2\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-05T07:32:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-05T09:05:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html\"},\"wordCount\":1421,\"commentCount\":56,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/nggallery_import\\\/Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Picture.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Business\",\"Ofcom Regulation\",\"Politics\",\"Security\",\"Three UK\",\"Vodafone\"],\"articleSection\":[\"ISP News\",\"Key Developments\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html\",\"name\":\"CMA Give Provisional Green Light to Vodafone and Three UK Merger UPDATE2 - ISPreview UK\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/nggallery_import\\\/Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Picture.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-05T07:32:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-05T09:05:52+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Competition and Markets Authority has today appeared to give a \\\"provisional\\\" approval to Vodafone and Three UK's recently tabled commitments (here)\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/nggallery_import\\\/Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Picture.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/nggallery_import\\\/Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Picture.webp\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Picture\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"CMA Give Provisional Green Light to Vodafone and Three UK Merger UPDATE2\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/\",\"name\":\"ISPreview UK\",\"description\":\"Top Broadband ISP and Mobile Provider Information Site\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"ISPreview.co.uk\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/ispreview_uk_logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/ispreview_uk_logo.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"ISPreview.co.uk\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/ispreview\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/ispreview\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/mjack\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/bsky.app\\\/profile\\\/ispreview.bsky.social\",\"https:\\\/\\\/mastodon.social\\\/@ispreview\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/de66a8b4e937c21c80e443d1bf9c35d5\",\"name\":\"Mark Jackson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/nggallery_import\\\/Mark-Jackson-96x96.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/nggallery_import\\\/Mark-Jackson-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/nggallery_import\\\/Mark-Jackson-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Mark Jackson\"},\"description\":\"By Mark Jackson Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/ispreview\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/ispreview\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/markj\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"CMA Give Provisional Green Light to Vodafone and Three UK Merger UPDATE2 - ISPreview UK","description":"The Competition and Markets Authority has today appeared to give a \"provisional\" approval to Vodafone and Three UK's recently tabled commitments (here)","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"CMA Give Provisional Green Light to Vodafone and Three UK Merger UPDATE2 - ISPreview UK","og_description":"The Competition and Markets Authority has today appeared to give a \"provisional\" approval to Vodafone and Three UK's recently tabled commitments (here)","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html","og_site_name":"ISPreview UK","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ispreview","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ispreview","article_published_time":"2024-11-05T07:32:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-11-05T09:05:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nggallery_import\/Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Picture.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Mark Jackson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ispreview","twitter_site":"@ispreview","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mark Jackson","Estimated reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html"},"author":{"name":"Mark Jackson","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/de66a8b4e937c21c80e443d1bf9c35d5"},"headline":"CMA Give Provisional Green Light to Vodafone and Three UK Merger UPDATE2","datePublished":"2024-11-05T07:32:03+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-05T09:05:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html"},"wordCount":1421,"commentCount":56,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nggallery_import\/Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Picture.webp","keywords":["Business","Ofcom Regulation","Politics","Security","Three UK","Vodafone"],"articleSection":["ISP News","Key Developments"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html","url":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html","name":"CMA Give Provisional Green Light to Vodafone and Three UK Merger UPDATE2 - ISPreview UK","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nggallery_import\/Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Picture.webp","datePublished":"2024-11-05T07:32:03+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-05T09:05:52+00:00","description":"The Competition and Markets Authority has today appeared to give a \"provisional\" approval to Vodafone and Three UK's recently tabled commitments (here)","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nggallery_import\/Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Picture.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nggallery_import\/Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Picture.webp","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Picture"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/cma-give-provisional-green-light-to-vodafone-and-three-uk-merger.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"CMA Give Provisional Green Light to Vodafone and Three UK Merger UPDATE2"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/","name":"ISPreview UK","description":"Top Broadband ISP and Mobile Provider Information Site","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#organization","name":"ISPreview.co.uk","url":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/ispreview_uk_logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/ispreview_uk_logo.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"ISPreview.co.uk"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ispreview","https:\/\/x.com\/ispreview","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mjack\/","https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/ispreview.bsky.social","https:\/\/mastodon.social\/@ispreview"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/de66a8b4e937c21c80e443d1bf9c35d5","name":"Mark Jackson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/nggallery_import\/Mark-Jackson-96x96.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/nggallery_import\/Mark-Jackson-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/nggallery_import\/Mark-Jackson-96x96.jpg","caption":"Mark Jackson"},"description":"By Mark Jackson Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ispreview","https:\/\/x.com\/ispreview"],"url":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/author\/markj"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}