Netherlands: Closed ACM investigation into KPN's acquisition of Youfone

On 21 March 2023, the Dutch Authority Consumer and Market (ACM) closed its investigation into KPN's acquisition of Youfone. ACM has approved KPN's acquisition of Youfone after an in-depth investigation into its impact on the mobile telecommunications market. The investigation concluded that the takeover would not reduce competition since no significant competitive force would be lost, and there are enough providers to continue exerting competitive pressure. The ACM based its decision on the assessment that consumers would still have choices even after the takeover, with several providers offering competitively priced mobile phone subscriptions. During the review process, economic analyses predicted that the merger would have a negligible impact on pricing. The estimated changes ranged from a decrease of 0.4% to an increase of 0.7%, indicating that the merger would have minimal effects on consumer costs. The market for mobile telecommunications services will continue to be closely monitored by the ACM, with particular attention paid to the access policies of network providers and the presence of switching barriers for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs).