Liberty and Vodafone reportedly on brink of securing approval

Liberty Global and Vodafone are set to secure EC approval for their planned Dutch joint venture after offering relatively minor concessions, according to Reuters.

Citing two unnamed sources, the news agency reported on Friday that the pair were set to win approval for the deal from the Commission’s competition authority. The EC is scheduled to rule on the Dutch venture on Wednesday.

Under the deal Vodafone and Liberty Global will merge their Dutch operations, with the mobile operator paying €1 billion to give the pair a 50:50 interest.

Liberty Global-owned Ziggo is the largest cable operator in The Netherlands, while Vodafone is the third largest mobile player.