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BT takeover of EE gets final Competition and Markets Authority clearance BT takeover of EE gets final Competition and Markets Authority clearance
(35 minutes later)
BT Group's takeover of mobile phone network EE has been given final clearance by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).BT Group's takeover of mobile phone network EE has been given final clearance by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The CMA said the £12.5bn deal was unlikely to cause significant harm to competition. The £12.5bn deal brings together the UK's largest fixed-line business and the largest mobile telecoms business.
The deal will create a communications giant covering fixed-line phones, broadband, mobile and TV. The CMA said it was unlikely to harm competition as BT was "smaller in mobile" and EE a "minor player" in broadband.
The takeover brings together the UK's largest fixed-line business and the largest mobile telecoms business. BT said the combined company would be "a digital champion for the UK".
The deal creates a giant covering fixed-line phones, broadband, mobile and TV.
John Wotton of the CMA said: "The evidence does not show that this merger is likely to cause significant harm to competition or the interests of consumers."John Wotton of the CMA said: "The evidence does not show that this merger is likely to cause significant harm to competition or the interests of consumers."
BT chief executive Gavin Patterson said: "The combined BT and EE will be a digital champion for the UK, providing high levels of investment and driving innovation in a highly competitive market."BT chief executive Gavin Patterson said: "The combined BT and EE will be a digital champion for the UK, providing high levels of investment and driving innovation in a highly competitive market."
The deal was originally announced in February last year, and the CMA provisionally approved the merger in October last year.The deal was originally announced in February last year, and the CMA provisionally approved the merger in October last year.
Rivals TalkTalk and Vodafone called for competition authorities to force BT to spin off its Openreach operation.Rivals TalkTalk and Vodafone called for competition authorities to force BT to spin off its Openreach operation.
Openreach maintains the UK's copper and fibre communications cable network.
In July, regulator Ofcom started looking into whether BT and Openreach should be split up.
BT Openreach was created ten years ago with the remit of giving competitors access to its telephone and broadband network on equal terms.
Ofcom had concerns that Openreach's performance on behalf of those providers had often been poor.