Vodafone, Vantage Towers alleged abuse in Germany (pending case)

Update: The German competition authority sent a statement of objections to Vodafone and Vantage Towers, setting out its competition concerns in relation to the “massive delays” in Vantage Towers’ provision of antenna sites to new entrant mobile network operator 1&1. The final decision is expected in mid-2025.

SES/Intelsat merger (pending case)

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a merger inquiry into SES’s proposed $3.1bn (€2.95bn) acquisition of Intelsat, both satellite companies. The CMA is seeking comments from interested parties until 29 April 2025 and should adopt its phase I decision by 12 June 2025.

KPN/Open Tower Company merger 2025

The Dutch competition authority cleared telecoms operator KPN’s acquisition of a controlling majority stake in passive mobile network infrastructure provider Open Tower Company. The clearance is subject to conditions, including an obligation to grant competitors fair and non-discriminatory access to the acquired sites.

Explainer: EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR)

This updated report explains the key provisions of the FSR, which allows the Commission to address distortions in the EU internal market caused by foreign subsidies, i.e. subsidies granted by non-EU countries. It complements the EU’s state aid rules, which only apply to subsidies granted by EU countries.

Applying the Foreign Subsidies Regulation: European Commission seeks input on future guidelines

In preparation for the upcoming guidelines on the application of the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), the European Commission launched a call for evidence until 2 April 2025. The FSR, which entered into force in 2023, enables the Commission to address distortions in the EU internal market caused by foreign subsidies, i.e. subsidies granted by non-EU countries.

Deployment of 1 Gbps broadband networks in Portugal 2023

Update: The European Commission approved under EU state aid rules a one-year extension until end-2025 of a €172m Portuguese scheme to support the deployment of high-performing broadband networks that offer down-/upload speeds of at least 1 Gbps/150 Mbps in underserved areas of the country.