Vodafone wins merger approval

Britain’s Vodafone - the world’s second-largest telecoms operator - announced the deal in June, which will help the company to fend off rivals in its most important market.

The European Commission said the deal did not raise concerns as it would not appreciably alter competition in the markets where the companies are currently active.

”The Commission’s investigation confirmed that the activities of the merging parties were mainly complementary,” the European Union’s executive said in a statement.

“While Kabel Deutschland primarily offers cable TV, fixed line telephony and Internet access services, Vodafone’s core business consists of mobile telephony services,” it added.

Vodafone wants to buy Kabel Deutschland to offer more television and fixed-line services in Germany, its largest European mobile market.