Vodafone And 3 Merger Might Not Be Good For Prices

Vodafone and 3’s merger plans still have to overcome one fairly big stumbling block — getting approval from the ACCC, which is worried that the two phone companies merging might reduce competition and force up prices.
The ACCC is currently seeking comments from the public and industry on the proposed merger, and what effect it might have on pricing or services. And while it hasn’t made up its mind whether the merger should go ahead, it is “concerned that the removal of Hutchison as a vigorous and effective competitor will lead to increased prices for customers in the retail mobile telephony and MBB [mobile broadband]services segments”. Of course, for 3 customers, the merger should remove the ridiculous roaming charges which happen every time you leave a capital city, so there’s pros and cons. You can make your own submission on the issue to the ACCC via the link below (oddly, they prefer PDF submissions). ACCC