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[Dwight]

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/02/virgin-media-o2-uks-owners-close-in-on-2bn-broadband-deal-for-netomnia.html
This has to be bad for us consumers? Yes?

[broadstairs]

Seems like it will be at the very least be investigated by the Competition & Markets folks before it happens. Lets hope so anyway.

Stuart

[Chrysalis]

There is an opinion that this is VM being anti competitive, they can is believed do their own rollout for less than the cost of this purchase in the same areas, but this move basically disables CityFibre (who were in talks to do their own purchase) as a competitor (as well as Netomnia).

[Dwight]

Well it's now official that it would like to take place!
Just needs a rubber stamp from the monopolies commission.

https://www.netomnia.com/news/netomnia-and-nexfibre-merger/

 

[Chrysalis]

80% overlap so this is a huge premium paid, its an investment to kill competition, who has faith in the CMA blocking this, I dont.

Borrowed quote, to show how ridiculous this is in normal terms.  Money to be returned to shareholders from customers of course, so VM's headline costs to reflect a need to recover 2 billion spent on almost nothing post transaction.

Nexfibre/VMO2’s shareholders are spending £2 billion to increase VMO2 Gigabit footprint from 18.81 to 19.36 million premises, an increase of just 0.55 million

[kitz]

80% overlap so this is a huge premium paid, its an investment to kill competition, who has faith in the CMA blocking this, I dont.

Unfortunately, I agree.