The European Commission has approved Vodafone's €18.400 billion acquisition of Liberty Global's cable networks in Central Europe. In one of his last acts as CEO, former Vodafone boss Vittorio Colao struck a deal to buy networks in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Romania in May. since last year This initiative aims to accelerate Vodafone's convergent network and make it the largest NGN provider in Europe. The company's fiber footprint will grow to 110 million across the continent, including 54 million in its own infrastructure.
Vodafone Liberty Global
Vodafone has invested heavily in fixed infrastructure, network construction or acquisition in Spain, Italy, Germany and Portugal, and has entered into wholesale agreements in other markets, including the UK. EU approval was one of the last hurdles for the deal. The EC found that there was no major concern about the increase in prices or the decrease in the quality of services and announced that they would grant a blessing as long as it is safe. Corrective measures, such as wholesale access, will take effect. "In our modern society, access to high-quality, affordable television and broadband services is almost as much in demand as running water," said EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager. "Today we approve the acquisition by Vodafone of Liberty Global's operations in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Romania, subject to measures to ensure that customers continue to benefit from fair prices." , high-quality services and innovative products.” Despite opposition from Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone said it was not afraid of having a negative impact on competition as Vodafone and Liberty Global's cable assets in Germany do not overlap. "With the approval of the transaction by the European Commission, Vodafone becomes the largest fully converged communications operator in Europe, accelerating innovation across its gigabit networks and bringing greater benefits to millions of customers." Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania," added the Vodafone Group. CEO Nick Read. "This is an important step toward building truly digital businesses for our clients."