Three’s ‘network congestion’ under scrutiny in EU court review of blocked O2 merger
By Lewis Crofts ( June 4, 2026, 11:23 GMT | Insight) -- UK operator Three wasn't facing a network capacity squeeze amid rising usage and therefore represented an important competitive force set to disappear if merged with O2 UK, the European Commission told judges on Thursday. CK Hutchison, the owner of Three, sought to overturn a decade-old veto on the deal, saying the telecoms company faced congestion risks that limited its ability to compete. It also took aim at "weak" EU claims that the merger would have a harmful impact on network-sharing deals.UK operator Three wasn't facing a network capacity squeeze amid rising usage and therefore represented an important competitive force set to disappear if merged with O2 UK, the European Commission told judges on Thursday. ...
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