The UK's Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) announced its final approval of the 50:50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefonica to combine Virgin Media and O2. The CMA cleared the transaction without remedies and now all regulatory conditions are met in alignment with the original terms and the transaction is now expected to close by June 1, 2021. Liberty Global and Telefonica announced the joint venture last May, bringing together Virgin Media, the UK's broadband network, and O2, the country's and most admired mobile operator.

The combination will create a stronger fixed and mobile competitor in the UK market, supporting the expansion of Virgin Media's giga-ready network and O2's 5G mobile deployment for the benefit of consumers, businesses and the public sector. The joint venture is expected to deliver substantial synergies valued at £6.2 billion on a net present value basis after integration costs and will create a nationwide integrated communications provider with £11 billion of revenue.