EC sets July deadline for Liberty-Vodafone decision

The European Commission’s competition authority has set a provisional July 19 deadline for ruling on Vodafone and Liberty Global’s Dutch merger.

The Commission will opt to either approve the deal with or without conditions in the preliminary phase or open a full-scale investigation, according to Reuters.

Vodafone and Liberty Global agreed in February to merge their operations in the Netherlands, forming a 50-50 joint venture that will combine Ziggo’s fibre broadband network with Vodafone’s mobile operations.

The firms said that through the deal they will create a unified communications provider in the Netherlands – with complementary strengths across video, broadband, mobile and B2B services.

The deal will bring together Liberty-owned Ziggo’s Horizon TV offering, 200 Mbps nationwide broadband internet and WiFi network, and Vodafone’s 4G mobile network, offering “superior connectivity and entertainment both in and outside the home”.

The JV will operate under both the Vodafone and Ziggo brands and create a national operator with over 15 million revenue generating units – 4.2 million video, 3.2 million high‐speed broadband, 2.6 million fixed‐line telephony and 5.3 million mobile customers.