Britain's competition watchdog on Wednesday agreed to fast-track its review of nexfibre's planned £2 billion ($2.65 billion) acquisition of Substantial Group, the parent of broadband operator Netomnia, to an in-depth investigation.
Nexfibre, a joint venture backed by Liberty Global, Telefonica and InfraVia, agreed to buy the country's second-largest "altnet" fibre network Netomnia for £2 billion ($2.7 billion) in February.
The deal will add more than 3.4 million fibre premises and over 500,000 customers to the partners' British footprint, which will reach 8 million premises with full fibre by the end of 2027, challenging BT's national Openreach network.
Rajiv Datta, chief executive of nexfibre, said: "We requested a fast-track to Phase 2 to get to the right answer faster; ensuring due process, while recognising urgency."
"This deal would create the scaled, sustainable alternative to the BT Openreach monopoly, something the UK market still lacks."
($1 = 0.7552 pounds)