Bruxelles, 06/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 5 September, the European Commission unconditionally approved the plans to set up a joint venture between Vodafone, Telefónica and Everything Everywhere in the field of mobile commerce in the UK.
The Commission's preliminary investigation had indicated potential competition concerns in the nascent markets of mobile payment applications supply (so-called “mobile wallets”), mobile advertising and related data analytics services. On this basis, the Commission opened an in-depth inquiry on 13 April (see EUROPE 10595). As a result of its in-depth investigation, the Commission concluded that the joint venture will not likely lead to a significant impediment to effective competition in the European Economic Area. EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia commented: “Mobile commerce is a nascent sector that may radically change the consumer buying experience in the next few years. The proposed joint venture is one of several initiatives to develop the sector in Europe. The Commission is keen on promoting innovation in this area and ensuring that the markets remain open so that a number of competing solutions can emerge without undue obstacles, to the benefit of consumers.” (OL/transl.fl)