The press service of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine reported that the committee allowed VF Ukraine (Vodafone Ukraine) to acquire a stake in Freenet LLC, which provides the company with control over the provider.
It is noted that the concentration occurs in the provision of fixed Internet access services. The parties to the agreement provide Internet access services to both individuals and legal entities within many settlements of Ukraine.
The shares of the buyer group in the regional markets are insignificant. After the transaction, the total shares of participants in the concentration on regional markets will not exceed 15-21%.
In 2022, the telecom operator Vodafone Ukraine earned UAH 19.8 billion, according to a company press release. The company's net profit fell to UAH 1.1 billion, which is 71% less than in 2021.
About 3.5 million subscribers of the Vodafone Ukraine operator left the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine because of the war. More than 2.2 million subscribers have gone abroad, but continue to use the operator's services.
