Vodafone and Three granted approval to merge

Vodafone and Three have been given the green light to create the UK's largest mobile phone operator after agreeing to invest heavily in upgrading the merged group's network across the country.

- Guardian staff

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the pair must commit to upgrading 5G coverage and offer short-term customer protections against price rises.

The £16.5bn merger of the UK's third and fourth biggest operators respectively will create a network with more than 27 million subscribers.

The CMA said the merged company would be subject to legally binding commitments that it spends £11bn on upgrading their combined network, and said the deal would boost competition in the long term. The merger is expected to formally be completed in the first half of next year.