Space Commerce

Viasat’s Proposed Acquisition of Inmarsat Receives Unconditional Clearance From UK’s Competition and Markets Authority

By Keith Cowing
Press Release
ViaSat
May 9, 2023
Filed under ,
Viasat’s Proposed Acquisition of Inmarsat Receives Unconditional Clearance From UK’s Competition and Markets Authority
Viasat to purchase Inmarsat
ViaSat

Viasat Inc., (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, and Inmarsat, a leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, are pleased that the UK’s Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has today announced the conclusion of its Phase II review, which confirmed its provisional findings that the transaction does not raise competition concerns, and allows Viasat’s proposed acquisition of Inmarsat to proceed without remedies.

This decision is an important milestone towards completion of the deal. The proposed transaction has now received clearance from the UK government under the National Security and Investment Act and the CMA, as well as the Australian government’s Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

“We’re delighted with the CMA’s decision to unconditionally clear the deal to acquire Inmarsat, as it represents a critical step in securing final approvals to complete this transaction,” said Mark Dankberg, Chairman and CEO, Viasat. “The decision validates our position that the combination of our two companies will strengthen competition in a dynamic market that continues to attract substantial levels of investment and enables us to offer better services to our customers. Additionally, this deal will also create new high-skill technology jobs, deepen Viasat’s capabilities in the UK, and ultimately help to deliver the goals of the UK’s National Space Strategy. I appreciate the extensive review by the CMA to review this transaction and thank them for their efforts.”

Rajeev Suri, Chief Executive Officer at Inmarsat, said: “Today’s decision by the CMA to clear the Viasat-Inmarsat deal is hugely significant for the UK’s space ambitions and customers everywhere. We would like to thank the CMA Independent Panel and Case Team for their diligent work on the review and for recognising that in today’s fast changing satellite communications sector the needs of customers will continue to be well served.”

The companies will continue to work through other regulatory approvals and update on transaction close timing as those processes continue.

About Viasat
Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. For more than 35 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate. Today, the Company is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, secure, affordable, fast connections to impact people’s lives anywhere they are—on the ground, in the air or at sea. To learn more about Viasat, visit: www.viasat.com, go to Viasat’s Corporate Blog, or follow the Company on social media at: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube.

About Inmarsat

Inmarsat delivers world leading, innovative, advanced and exceptionally reliable global, mobile communications across the world – in the air, at sea and on land – that are enabling a new generation of commercial, government and mission-critical services. Inmarsat is powering the digitalisation of the maritime industry, making operations more efficient and safer than ever before. It is driving a new era of inflight passenger services for aviation, while ensuring that aircraft can fly with maximum efficiency and safety. Furthermore, Inmarsat is enabling the rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) and enabling the next wave of world-changing technologies that will underpin the connected society and help build a sustainable future. And now Inmarsat is developing the first-of-its-kind, multi-dimensional communications network of the future, ORCHESTRA. In November 2021, Inmarsat and Viasat announced the planned combination of the two companies, to create a new leader in global communications. For further information, follow us: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram.

SpaceRef co-founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.