Hong Kong’s competition watchdog has accepted a set of commitments from China Mobile Hong Kong (CMHK) regarding its proposed acquisition of broadband provider HKBN Ltd, effectively allowing the merger to move forward without further investigation.
Announced in December, the deal underwent a review by the Communications Authority under the Competition Ordinance due to concerns over its potential impact on market competition—particularly within the fixed local access network segment.
To address these concerns, CMHK submitted a series of commitments last month. The authority then launched a consultation, inviting feedback from industry stakeholders and interested parties.
One key issue raised during the process involved mobile backhaul infrastructure, which supports the transmission of data from mobile devices to broader networks. In response, CMHK revised its commitments to reflect industry input.
Following the amendments, the authority concluded that the revised commitments adequately addressed competition concerns. It confirmed on Friday that the merger could proceed, noting CMHK’s active engagement to meet regulatory requirements.
