Brussels, 23 February 2023
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Vantage Towers AG of Germany by Vodafone Group Plc (‘Vodafone’) of the UK, Global Infrastructure Management, LLC (‘GIP’) and KKR & Co. Inc. (‘KKR’), both of the US.
Vantage Towers, currently solely controlled by Vodafone, is a provider of telecommunication infrastructure hospitality services for customers such as mobile network operators and broadcasters in a number of Member States and the UK. Vodafone is a multinational telecommunications operator, primarily active in the provision of mobile telecommunication services. GIP is a global infrastructure fund manager primarily focused on investing in transportation, energy, waste and digital infrastructure sectors. KKR is a global investment firm, offering alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions.
The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given that the transaction does not give rise to any horizontal overlaps or vertical links between the activities of Vantage Towers on the one hand, and the activities of KKR and GIP on the other hand. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
More information is available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.10991.
Source – EU Commission