1213 GMT - The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority is among the most mentioned topics across news items over the past five hours, according to Factiva data, after the regulator said it would launch a deep review into the planned joint venture between Vodafone U.K. and Three U.K. unless they come up with a solution to its concerns. The regulator said that it believes the deal could result in higher prices for customers and impact investment in U.K. mobile networks. "Whilst Vodafone and Three have made a number of claims about how their deal is good for competition and investment, the CMA has not seen sufficient evidence to date to back these claims," CMA's Julie Bon said. The companies said that the review was an expected step in the process and they looked forward to engaging constructively with the regulator to set out the benefits of the deal. They have five working days to offer a solution otherwise the CMA will refer the deal for a deeper probe. Vodafone shares were up 2.2% at 69.00 pence. Dow Jones & Co. owns Factiva. ( najat.kantouar@wsj.com)


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

03-22-24 0901ET