BT buying EE – is it good for consumers?

BT has confirmed that it is in exclusive talks to acquire EE, the UK's largest market mobile network group but is the buyout good for consumers? Will one of the UK's largest communications groups buying the largest mobile network result in lower mobile prices in the UK? The mobile market in the UK is converging towards a quad-play market where one provider offers broadband, television, landline and mobile services to customers in a single package. BT currently offers services in three of the four markets but in the mobile market, it has been missing from the market since selling its network to O2's parent company back in 2005. With BT set to re-enter the market with the acquisition of EE, is this likely to benefit customers? The potential benefits After acquiring some of the UK 4G spectrum in the auction last year, BT were expected to enter the market with its own network in a bid to offer mobile services under its own name. However, this would have resulted in significant infrastructure investment but by buying EE, the company have removed this requirement and instead have a large number of customers on their network from the get-go. With EE holding 34 percent market share (by ...

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