Britain approves $19 billion Vodafone-Three mobile merger

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain on Thursday approved the $19 billion merger between Vodafone UK and Hutchison’s Three UK to create the country’s biggest mobile operator and reduce the number of networks to three from four.

The Competition and Markets Authority had previously said the deal could push up prices for customers, but it later accepted that commitments on network investment and shorter term protections for both retail and wholesale customers were enough to resolve its concerns.

The CMA said: “We believe the merger is likely to boost competition in the UK mobile sector and should be allowed to proceed – but only if Vodafone and Three agree to implement our proposed measures.”

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Kate Holton)