CMA green lights £31B merger of telecoms giants Virgin and O2

The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has given the green light to a £31 billion merger of telecoms giants Virgin and O2.

Provisional approval of the deal was granted last month but today’s announcement clears the companies to form a combined entity that can better compete against BT/EE after their own £12.5 billion merger in 2016.

Virgin and O2 both sell wholesale services to a number of mobile operators in the UK. In the case of Virgin, their wholesale...

20 May 2021 | Legislation & Government

Virgin and O2’s merger is granted provisional approval

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has granted provisional regulatory approval of Virgin’s proposed merger with O2.

In November last year, the European Commission – which, pre-Brexit, had regulatory oversight over the deal – referred the proposed merger to the UK’s competition regulator.

Andrea Coscelli, Chief Executive at the CMA, said at the time:

“These are incredibly important UK markets, that continue to evolve, and the deal needs to be...

14 April 2021 | Legislation & Government

UK completes 5G spectrum auction following two-month delay

British telecoms regulator Ofcom has completed its 5G spectrum auction following a two-month delay.

The spectrum auction was initially scheduled to take place in January but was pushed back amid another wave of COVID-19.

“The auction and subsequent release of spectrum remain central to the future rollout of mobile networks and 5G. The economy’s recovery from COVID-19 is dependent on resilient digital infrastructure and we urge Ofcom to resist any further requests for...

17 March 2021 | Legislation & Government

O2 and NEC conduct OpenRAN trial with multi-vendor hardware

O2 has partnered with NEC to conduct a trial of OpenRAN technology using hardware from multiple vendors.

OpenRAN provides operators with open, standards-based, and interoperable software and hardware. This gives carriers more flexibility in their deployments, reduces cost, and improves the resilience of networks.

The joint trial between O2 and NEC used virtualised RAN software from Altiostar in addition to hardware from GigaTera Communications, Supermicro, and...

1 February 2021 | Networks

Vodafone, Three, and O2 commit to building 222 masts together

Three of the UK’s four major telcos have committed to building 222 new masts as part of an endeavour to address rural coverage issues.

Vodafone, O2, and Three UK will build and share the new masts to improve rural 4G coverage across all four nations of the United Kingdom.

Nick Jeffery, CEO of Vodafone UK, said:

“We know connectivity is vital and the only way to fill the holes in the UK’s mobile coverage is to work together.

Our unique collaboration...

27 January 2021 | Legislation & Government

European Commission refers Virgin Media–O2 merger to the CMA

The European Commission has referred a proposed merger between Virgin Media and O2 to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

Virgin Media and O2 confirmed their intention to merge back in May. Naturally, the £31 billion deal is being scrutinised by regulators.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-PZkudXsWo

The CMA formally requested the case be transferred on October 8th, shortly after the European Commission launched its investigation. Today, the European...

19 November 2020 | Networks

British mobile operators will be banned from selling locked phones

Telecoms regulator Ofcom has banned mobile operators from selling locked phones after December 2021.

Locking mobiles to specific networks often causes confusion for consumers and prevents them from switching at the end of their contracts.

Selina Chadha, Connectivity Director at Ofcom, said:

“We know that lots of people can be put off from switching because their handset is locked.

So we’re banning mobile companies from selling locked phones, which...

27 October 2020 | Legislation & Government

RootMetrics: EE continues its lead in the UK, but Three’s 5G is fastest

RootMetrics by IHS Markit's latest UK report shows no sign of EE losing its overall lead, but Three's 5G potential is beginning to emerge.

EE either took first place, or tied, in all seven of RootMetrics' categories: Overall, reliability, speed, data, accessibility, calls, and text.

The UK's largest mobile operator by subscribers managed to achieve a median download speed of 42.6Mbps across 16 major cities tested. In half of the cities, EE achieved 50Mbps. In Manchester,...

30 July 2020 | Networks

O2 and Virgin Media confirm historic £31 billion merger

The rumours proved to be true: O2 and Virgin Media have confirmed their intention to merge in a £31 billion deal.

Telefonica and Liberty Global, owners of O2 and Virgin Media respectively, have put out a joint statement today confirming the 50-50 joint venture which “brings together Virgin Media, the UK’s fastest broadband network, and O2, the country’s largest mobile platform.”

Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete, CEO of Telefonica, said: “Combining O2’s number one...

7 May 2020 | Networks

O2 and Virgin Media consider merging to fight BT and Sky

Two of the UK's biggest names in telecoms are considering a merger to combat the industry behemoths of BT and Sky.

O2 and Virgin Media are reportedly in talks to combine each company's strengths across TV, broadband, and mobile.

Liberty Global, which owns Virgin Media, is said to be in talks with Spanish O2-owner Telefonica. Virgin Media brings a vast TV and broadband presence to the table, while O2 has a much larger base of mobile subscribers. 

Virgin...

4 May 2020 | Networks