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Germany: Regulator asks EC for say on Vodafone/Unitymedia deal

By  |  November 8, 2018

Germany’s competition regulator has made a formal request to the European Commission to take over the investigation into Vodafone’s proposed acquisition of cable operator Unitymedia, reported Telecom Paper. The Bundeskartellamt stated the deal could lead to significant changes on the German cable TV and telecoms markets.

Vodafone filed the merger with the European Commission in mid-October. The deal also covers its planned takeover of Liberty Global’s cable activities in Hungary, Romania, and the Czech Republic. The German regulator only wants a say on the German part of the transaction.

The Commission confirmed that it received the referral request from the German agency on November 7. It will have 35 working days to decide whether to hand the case to the Bundeskartellamt.

The request is likely to delay a decision on the deal from the Commission’s original deadline of December 11. Vodafone and Liberty Global have announced that they aim to close the deal by mid-2019.

Full Content: Telecom Paper
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