Vodafone, VMO2 shuffle spectrum to woo watchdog amid merger moves

UK telcos Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) have struck a new network sharing agreement with a provision that seems aimed at smoothing the path for Vodafone's planned merger with Three. VMO2 announced the updated mobile network sharing agreement, saying it significantly extends the existing agreement it has with Vodafone UK …

[Oh Matron!]

Things which need nationalising...

Cellular Radio. Imagine if the RAN was available wholesale, and providers could just bolt on their network Infra....

[MatthewSt]

Re: Things which need nationalising...

I take it you've never dealt with Openreach...!

[ARGO]

Re: Things which need nationalising...

Or the old GPO.

I can see it now.... "Yes of course you can download some data. We can allocate you 5MB at 3am on the 2nd Tuesday of next month...."

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Things which need nationalising...

.... but we will need orders signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public inquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters.

[Roland6]

Will MergeCo have more than 25% of total spectrum?

If Ofcom are consistent with previous decisions, concerning the UK market needing 4 operators, it needs to ensure no one operator has more than 25% of the spectrum or reduce MergeCo to a carrier with no retail operation ie. It has to sell to end users via independent MVNOs which it does not have a shareholding in. If it thinks the market requires three operators (sorry alts, no room for you) then the maximum spectrum MergeCo can have is 33%….

To allow MergeCo to retain in any form over 34% and a retail operationmeans Ofcom believes there is only really room in the UK market for a duopoly…

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Will MergeCo have more than 25% of total spectrum?

OFCOM previously (in a four operator market) limited BTEE to 42% of the available spectrum, so enforcing 25% might be considered tricky.