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TPG-Vodafone merger suffers $700 million setback
09 May 2019 12:00 am
Duration: 17:25
A merger that would have seen Australia’s broadband and mobile network markets changed forever suffered a costly A$1 billion ($700 million) loss this week after a premature announcement from Australia’s competition regulator blocked the deal. Now the companies are preparing to take their fight to a Federal Court.
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08 May 2019 12:36 pm by James PanichiA technical glitch that saw a regulatory decision on a proposed multibillion-dollar telecommunications merger published before the market had closed for the day was “deeply embarrassing,” Australia’s top competition official says.
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08 May 2019 12:47 pm by Laurel HenningVodafone Hutchison Australia’s merger with local telecommunications operator TPG Telecom has been blocked, with the country's competition regulator revealing it hasn't accepted TPG's 11th-hour decision to pull the plug on its planned network rollout.
Editorial Team
James Panichi Senior Editor, Asia Pacific

James, an Australian journalist with over 25 years’ experience in print and electronic media, is spearheading MLex’s coverage of regulatory risk in Australia and New Zealand. In 2016, James was appointed as MLex’s managing editor for continental Europe, overseeing the Brussels bureau’s coverage of EU regulatory affairs and managing a team of 16 journalists in Brussels and Geneva. Previously James worked for the European Voice newspaper, before joining the European operation of US political website... Read more
Laurel Henning Senior Correspondent

Laurel is a senior correspondent covering data privacy and security, antitrust and mergers and acquisitions across Australia and New Zealand. Prior to that, Laurel spent a year spearheading MLex’s activist investment coverage, looking at boardroom disputes and shareholder campaigns agitating for changes to company strategy. Laurel joined MLex in 2013 and reported for five years on European energy and climate policies from Brussels. In that time, Laurel covered the regulation of emissions and technological developments... Read more