The Autoridade da Concorrência (AdC), Portugal’s Competition Authority, has launched an in-depth investigation into Vodafone Portugal’s acquisition of local quad-play provider Nowo, expressing competition concerns. The antitrust authority justified its decision with the fact that, “given the evidence so far, it cannot be excluded that the merger will significantly impede effective competition in the national […]

Virgin Orbit has secured $31.6 million (€29.9m) in ‘Debtor in Possession’ financing from its US bankruptcy court in Delaware. The satellite services company said it intends to use the Chapter 11 process to maximise value for its business and assets. The cash comes from Virgin Investments. “Upon approval from the Bankruptcy Court, the DiP financing […]

The European Commission (EC) has opened an in-depth investigation into the potential merger between Orange and MásMóvil on the grounds that the operation could lead to higher prices and affect the quality of services. Brussels will now have 90 working days (until August 21st) to conclude whether the combined operation would hinder competition. “The transaction […]

Endeavor Group, the owner of UFC, and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) are to form a new publicly listed company consisting of the two global sports and entertainment brands. Upon closing , Endeavor will hold a 51 per cent controlling interest in the new company, at a cost of $9.3 billion (€8.5bn). Existing WWE shareholders will […]

François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, has given the go-ahead, subject to a number of conditions, for the C$26 billion (€21.8bn) merger of multiplay telcos Rogers and Shaw first announced in March 2021. “Since the proposed merger between Rogers and Shaw was announced, I have been very clear: affordability and competition are […]

The potential link between the world’s two largest satellite operators, SES and Intelsat, is intriguing the market. The news – at this stage more rumour than hard fact – follows on from a slew of similar mergers/acquisitions in the sector including Viasat’s upcoming purchase of Inmarsat, Eutelsat’s merger with OneWeb, and plenty of smaller satellite-based […]

In response to rumours in the market, satellite operator SES has confirmed that the company has engaged in discussions regarding a possible combination with Intelsat. “At this stage, there can be no certainty that a transaction would materialise. The Board of SES remains fully committed to acting in the best interest of SES and its […]

Sunil Bharti Mittal, the Indian billionaire telecoms tycoon and executive chairman of OneWeb, which is in the process of merging with Paris-based Eutelsat, said a secondary listing in London was a plan “we will deliver”. “The benefit is that you have a varied investor base to address to, but this is more a requirement of […]

Broadcom’s $61 billion (€57bn) deal to buy VMware could lead to less innovation and drive up the cost of computer parts used by government, banks and telecoms, according to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Broadcom makes and sells specialist hardware components – such as network interface cards (NICs) and storage adapters – used […]

Sir Richard Branson-backed Virgin Orbit says it is in talks about a $200 million (€183m) rescue package. Virgin Orbit, which launches rockets and their satellite cargoes, has suspended production and placed staff of a payment furlough while it negotiated its way through a cash crunch. The discussions are with Texas-based venture capitalist Matthew Brown about […]