Could Three-Vodafone UK merger lead to higher mobile?
12 October 2023
MPs will question senior figures from Three and Vodafone, as well as regulatory experts, on the possible consequences for consumers of the two companies’ proposed merger. The session will focus primarily on the competition and consumer implications of the merger.
- Watch live on ParliamentTV: Three-Vodafone merger: implications for competition
- Business and Trade Committee
On 14 June 2023, Three and Vodafone’s UK businesses announced they intended to merge, to create a single 5G mobile network. The two companies say the deal could create economic benefits of up to £5 billion a year by 2030, but Unite the Union has raised concerns that the merger could lead to higher prices for consumers.
This evidence session will specifically explore the possible implications of the deal for competition in the sector, and hear evidence from competition experts on the main arguments for and against the merger. MPs are also likely to question Vodafone and Three on how the merged company would spend its proposed £11 billion investment over 10 years, and what measures they will take to prevent job losses.
Witnesses 
10.00-10.30:
- David Hennessy, Chief Technical Officer, Three
- Stephen Lerner, General Counsel and Regulatory Affairs Director, Three
- Andrea Donà, Network and Development Director, Vodafone UK
- Nicki Lyons, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Director, Vodafone UK
10.30-11.15:
- Professor Tommaso Valletti, Professor of Economics, Imperial College London and Former Chief Competition Economist at the European Commission
- Karen Egan, Head of Mobile, Enders Analysis
- Dr Jorge Padilla, Senior Managing Director, Head of Compass Lexecon Europe, Member of the Global Executive Committee, Compass Lexecon
- George Stevenson, Bargaining and Investigative Researcher, Unite the Union
Further information
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