EU decision on failed UK telecoms merger muddies regulatory waters

A European court has thrown out a previous verdict on a case linked to the long-abandoned proposed merger between Three and O2 in the UK, making the regulatory climate even more difficult to predict at a time when telco tie-ups are once again making headlines.
Hong Hong’s Hutchison brought a legal challenge against the European Commission after the EU’s executive arm in May 2016 vetoed its £10 billion-plus deal to acquire O2 UK with a view to merging it with Three. Initially it