The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority said Tuesday that Vodafone and Three's £15 billion ($19.5 billion) merger will likely be approved if the two firms proceed with billions of pounds of infrastructure investment and add customer protections.

The regulator says a merger between Vodafone and Three could go ahead - if both companies make price promises for consumers and commit to boosting the UK's 5G rollout. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had previously said that creating what would ...

When they announced the deal in June 2023, Vodafone and Three UK, owned by Hong Kong's CK Hutchison, pledged to invest 11 billion pounds in their joint network to roll-out 5G, a level of spending they said would not be possible if they did not join forces.

A £15bn merger between Vodafone and Three is on course to be given the green light after Sir Keir Starmer vowed to “rip up” red tape blocking investment in Britain. The two mobile operators have been told they must freeze prices for the next three years if they want their tie-up to be approved by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The merger of Vodafone and Three looks set to go-ahead after regulators said customer protection pledges made by the operators could alleviate competition concerns.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the merger of Vodafone and Three has "the potential to be pro-competitive for the UK mobile sector".

Vodafone’s deal to merge its U.K. business with rival operator Three could proceed if competition concerns are addressed, the country’s antitrust authority said.