And now? As long as the duo honour their promises to splash the cash and invest in their combined network, long-term competition should be strengthened, "benefitting millions of people who rely on mobile services", thinks the CMA.
That is not yet the watchdog's final word on the matter, but the light is flashing green for the deal.
What happened? Well, to be fair to the CMA, its seeming U-turn is not of the handbrake variety. Unless a deal is thrown out definitively at the first stage, there is usually a touch of negotiation-by-soundbite in these investigations.
September's provisional view still left the door open to precisely the sort of remedies the CMA is now backing.
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