Britain's antitrust watchdog is examining whether a £15bn tie-up between Vodafone's UK operation and CK Hutchison's Three UK would substantially lessen competition, it said yesterday. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) invited comments from interested parties on the deal announced in June which would create the UK's biggest mobile operator. The CMA is gathering information before it starts a formal Phase 1 investigation. If it finds the deal could lead to less competition, it will launch a deeper investigation.

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