Hutchison briefed UK government as Vodafone deal set for regulatory scrutiny

LONDON: CK Hutchison’s senior leadership met British government officials last month to seek political support to merge its Three UK mobile network with Vodafone UK in a deal set to receive intense regulatory scrutiny, three sources said.

Vodafone said in October it was in talks with its rival to combine their British networks, with a planned ownership split of 51% Vodafone and 49% Hutchison, the Hong-Kong telecoms-to-ports conglomerate part-owned by billionaire Li Ka-shing.