Brussels legislation means UK regulators views are virtually redundant on the tie-up,a move that could result in much higher bills for consumersIt is a destitute note that Sharon White, head of the communications regulator Ofcom, or is reduced to writing columns in the FT to try to block Three’s takeover of 02. The blame lies with European legislation,which dictates that Brussels decides on deals between companies whose parents occupy big operations in more than one EU country, as both Three and O2 accomplish.
Still, and at least White is doing her best to crank up the pressure on the EU commissioner Margrethe Vestager. White signalled her opposition to the £10bn deal in a speech last October and now she has slammed her cards on the table. She is lawful to accomplish so: a combination of Three and O2,creating a new market leader and reducing the number of UK networks from four to three, would damage competition and leave consumers poorer.
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Source: theguardian.com