"This mega-merger marks one of the most significant moments in the history of UK mobile, heralding the arrival of a new market leader with a combined 29 million customers," Kester Mann, director of consumer and connectivity at CCS Insight, said in a note on Thursday.
"The outcome – after months of intense regulatory scrutiny – is about as good as it could have got for Vodafone and Three. Not only did they secure approval, but the agreed remedies and commitments are less onerous than feared."