The Commerce Commission has received an application for clearance in relation to a transaction that would see the merger of the Vocus Group with 2degrees.
Vocus and 2degrees are both telecommunications providers that primarily supply retail fixed voice and broadband services to consumers and small business customers.
Vocus owns and operates a national fibre telecommunications network, which it uses to supply fixed-line and other telecommunications services to customers (on both a wholesale and retail basis). It retails telecommunication services to residential, business and government customers under brands that include Orcon, Slingshot, Flip and Vocus. It also retails energy to residential customers, bundled with telecommunications services.
2degrees owns and operates a national mobile telecommunications network. It retails fixed, mobile and other telecommunications services to residential, business and government customers. It also provides wholesale services, including for fixed-line and mobile.
A public version of the clearance application will be available shortly on the Commission's case register.
Background
The proposed transaction involves a newly incorporated Vocus Group company, Voyage Digital (NZ) Limited, acquiring all of the shares of Orcon Holdings Limited (formerly known as Vocus (New Zealand) Holdings Limited) and then acquiring all of the shares in Two Degrees Group Limited from its shareholders, Trilogy International New Zealand LLC and Tesbrit B.V.
We will give clearance to a proposed merger if we are satisfied that the merger is unlikely to have the effect of substantially lessening competition in a market.
