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☆ UK mobile operator EE eyes growth with new retail platform
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - EE, Britain's biggest mobile operator, on Wednesday announced the launch of a sales platform called EE ID that will offer gaming consoles and other electronics to its customers and others. In Britain's mature mobile market, where EE, owned by UK telecoms giant BT (BT.L), competes with VM O2, Vodafone (VOD.L) and Three, mobile network providers are hunting for new ways to grow. EE, which is already Britain's largest retailer of smartphones and has 25 million customers many on monthly deals, said the new platform will sell gaming consoles, tablets, upgrade packages and subscriptions to existing EE customers plus the rest of the market. EE ID will also offer customers cyber security, home security and insurance products for electronics, said Christian Thrane, EE's managing director of marketing. EE's push to add consumer revenue comes at a time of proposed consolidation in Britain's mobile market.

Persons: Marc Allera, Christian Thrane, CK Hutchison, Sarah Young, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: Wednesday, BT, VM O2, Vodafone, Apple TV, Reuters, CK, HK, Thomson

☆ Vodafone, Three execs tell lawmakers their UK merger will benefit 5G, jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Branding is displayed for Vodafone at one of its stores in London, Britain, June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Executives from Vodafone (VOD.L) and CK Hutchison's (0001.HK) Three UK unit said their 15 billion pound ($18 billion) merger would benefit Britain's consumers, infrastructure and jobs, as lawmakers scrutinise the planned tie-up. Vodafone and Three UK have pledged to invest 11 billion pounds to build a 5G network for Britain as part of their bid to secure backing from politicians, unions and competition authorities for the merger announced in June. They warned that without the deal, Britain's 5G network would continue to lag that of other European nations. "Neither us nor Vodafone can invest sufficiently to build the type of 5G network that's needed," Three's Chief Technical Officer David Hennessy said.

Persons: Toby Melville, CK Hutchison's, Nicki Lyons, David Hennessy, Stephen Lerner, Sarah Young, Mark Potter Organizations: Vodafone, REUTERS, HK, Trade, VM O2, Telefonica, Liberty Global, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

Under the terms, Vodafone will own 51% and Hutchison 49% of the combined group, which will be led by current Vodafone UK boss Ahmed Essam. The finance chief of Hutchison's Three UK, Darren Purkis, will take the same role in the new group. The combined operator will have about 27 million customers, overtaking BT's (BT.L) EE and VM O2, jointly owned by Telefonica (TEF.MC) and Liberty Global (LBTYA.O). Vodafone, which is currently Britain's third-biggest mobile operator, and fourth-placed Hutchison will have options which would allow Vodafone to acquire the Hong Kong-based conglomerate's 49% stake in the future. Shares in Vodafone, which fell to a 25-year low of 71 pence on Tuesday, rose 3.6% after the deal was announced.

Persons: CK Hutchison, Canning Fok, Ahmed Essam, Darren Purkis, Hutchison, Vodafone's Essam, Robert Finnegan, Gail Cartmail, Paul Sandle, Clare Jim, Kate Holton, Sharon Singleton, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Vodafone, CK, HK, Hutchison, Hutchison's, BT's, VM O2, Telefonica, Liberty Global, Britain's Competition, Markets Authority, CMA, Unite, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Britain, Hong Kong, China, London

☆ Exclusive: Vodafone and Hutchison to announce UK merger as soon as Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO: The company logo of CK Hutchison Holdings is displayed at a news conference in Hong Kong, China March 17, 2016. REUTERS/Bobby YipHONG KONG/LONDON, June 7 (Reuters) - Vodafone (VOD.L) and CK Hutchison (0001.HK) are in the final stages of agreeing to merge their British operations, with a long-awaited announcement expected as soon as Friday or early next week, three sources have told Reuters. Including debt the deal could be valued at around 15 billion pounds ($18.6 billion), according to analysts. The deal will face intense scrutiny from regulators who have previously opposed deals that reduce the number of networks in major markets from four to three. ($1 = 0.8061 pounds)Reporting by Clare Jim in Hong Kong and Paul Sandle in London; Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bobby Yip HONG, CK Hutchison, Hutchison, Clare Jim, Paul Sandle, Kate Holton Organizations: CK Hutchison Holdings, REUTERS, Vodafone, CK, HK, Reuters, British, Hutchison, BT's, VM O2, Telefonica, Liberty Global, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, Bobby Yip HONG KONG, London

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