UK competition watchdog approves $7.3B Viasat-Inmarsat merger

LONDON — Viasat’s acquisition of British satellite mobile communications company Inmarsat has cleared a key hurdle with the approval of the deal by the U.K.’s competition authority May 9.

The $7.3 billion merger offer, launched in November 2021, has most recently been stalled by a Competition and Markets Authority investigation into whether the tie-up would adversely impact competition in the fast growing supply of satellite connectivity for wi-fi on flights.

Both companies have significant activities in the defense and security sectors in Britain.

The British government approved the deal last year but progress towards finalizing the acquisition had been halted by the CMA’s intervention.

In a statement the CMA said it had concluded that “while Viasat and Inmarsat compete closely – specifically in the supply of satellite connectivity for wifi on flights – the deal does not substantially reduce competition for services provided on flights used by U.K. customers.”

The approval is not the final hurdle, but is an important milestone in Viasat’s quest to acquire the British-based satellite communications company.

The European Commission has launched its own investigation into the impact of the proposed merger on broadband services on airliners. It is expected to report on its findings by the end of June.

U.S. government approvals are also pending.

Viasat is a leading supplier of secure satellite communications and other services to the civil sector and various U.S. government departments, including the Pentagon.

In the U.K. the company is best known for data assurance and encryption services for government and defense.

Inmarsat provides satellite-based communications services to aviation, shipping and government agencies, including the U.K. Ministry of Defence.

Andrew Chuter is the United Kingdom correspondent for Defense News.

伦敦——随着英国竞争管理局于 5 月 9 日批准该交易，Viasat 收购英国卫星移动通信公司 Inmarsat 的交易扫清了一个关键障碍。

这项价值 73 亿美元的合并要约于 2021 年 11 月启动，最近因竞争与市场管理局的调查而陷入停滞，该调查旨在确定此次合并是否会对快速增长的航班 Wi-Fi 卫星连接供应领域的竞争产生不利影响。

这两家公司在英国的国防和安全领域都有着重要的业务。

英国政府去年批准了这笔交易，但由于英国竞争与市场管理局（CMA）的干预，收购的最终完成进程被叫停。

英国竞争与市场管理局 (CMA) 在一份声明中表示，其结论是“虽然 Viasat 和 Inmarsat 之间存在激烈的竞争——尤其是在为航班提供 wifi 卫星连接方面——但该交易并不会大幅减少英国乘客乘坐的航班上所提供的服务的竞争。”

此次批准并非最终障碍，但却是 Viasat 收购这家总部位于英国的卫星通信公司过程中的一个重要里程碑。

欧盟委员会已启动一项调查，以评估拟议合并对航空公司宽带服务的影响。预计将于6月底公布调查结果。

美国政府的批准也正在等待中。

Viasat 是领先的安全卫星通信及其他服务供应商，服务对象包括民用部门和美国政府各部门，例如五角大楼。

在英国，该公司以向政府和国防部门提供数据保障和加密服务而闻名。

Inmarsat 为航空、航运和政府机构（包括英国国防部）提供基于卫星的通信服务。

Andrew Chuter 是《防务新闻》的英国记者。