BT/EE: Huge Regulatory Headache and Trigger for European Transformation

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BT’s attempt to acquire EE in the UK presents the regulator and its competitors with choices that could re-frame the principles of regulation and competition in an era of consolidation, with consequences for many other markets. Will BT succeed, and if so, what will be the terms of the deal, and how will the market subsequently play out?

Description

Format: PDF filePages: 29 pagesCharts: 12Author: Alex HarrowellPublication Date: January 2015

Table of Contents

  • UK Cellular: The Context
  • Meanwhile, in the Retail ISP Market
  • The Business Case for BT+EE
  • An affordable deal?
  • Valuation and leverage
  • Synergy: operational cost savings
  • Synergy: marketing, customer data and cross-sales
  • Synergy: quad-play revenue
  • Can a BT-EE merger be acceptable to the Regulator?
  • The Spectrum Position
  • The Vertical Integration Problem
  • The Move towards Convergence and the Fixed Squeeze Potential Scenarios
  • Conclusion: big bets, tests, and signals
  • BT: betting big
  • The market: three big decisions
  • The regulator and the regulatory environment: a big test
  • Sending important signals

Table of Figures

  • Figure 1: The UK is a slightly dearer cellular market than France
  • Figure 2: UK mobile market overview, 2012-2014
  • Figure 3: UK cellular subscriber growth, 2012-2014
  • Figure 4: 3UK is a remarkably strong fourth operator
  • Figure 5: UK consumer wireline overview
  • Figure 6: FTTC is mostly benefiting the “major independent” ISPs
  • Figure 7: BT Sport has peaked as a driver of broadband net-adds, but the football rights bills keep coming
  • Figure 8: Content costs are eating around 70% of wholesale fibre revenue at BT
  • Figure 9: BT Sport’s impact on its market valuation
  • Figure 10: BT-EE would blow through the 2013 regulatory cap on spectrum allocations, but not the proposed cap post-2.3/3.4GHz auctions
  • Figure 11: Although BT-EE is just compliant with the 2.3/3.4GHz cap, it looks suspiciously dominant
  • Figure 12: Fibre-rich MNOs break away from the herd of mediocrity in Europe Figure 13: Vodafone – light on fibre across the EU

Technologies and industry terms referenced include: BT, content, EE, fibre-to-the-cell, FTTH, M&A, mobile, operators, quad-play, regulation, Strategy, Telco, Telecoms