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Paul Sawers / TechCrunch: The UK CMA launches a formal Phase 2 of its review of the Vodafone and Three UK's $19B merger, after finding competition and pricing concerns in Phase 1 — The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has confirmed that it's launching a formal “phase 2” investigation into the planned merger between Vodafone and Three UK. Paul Sawers / TechCrunch: The UK CMA launches a formal Phase 2 of its review of the Vodafone and Three UK's $19B merger, after finding…

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching a formal probe into the proposed merger between Vodafone and Three UK. The news hardly comes as a surprise, given that the £15 billion ($19 billion) joint venture would reduce the U.K.’s main infrastructure-owning mobile networks from four to three (the other two being EE and O2), and the duo had already allowed until the end of 2024 for the deal to conclude. That is some 18 months form when they first revealed their plans back in…