The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has cleared the planned acquisition of Cellnex Ireland by US-based towerco Phoenix Tower International.
While some competition concerns were identified and addressed by new commitments, the CCPC determined that the proposed acquisition will not substantially lessen competition.
In March 2025, Cellnex announced it was selling 100% of it’s Irish subsidiary to Phoenix Tower International which included a portfolio of just under 2,000 towers for EUR 971mn. The move aligned with the new strategy of CEO MArc Patuano to reduce leverage by selling non-core assets, simplifying the groups' corporate structure to focus on key markets and reduce debt.
By November the CCPC had confirmed it’s preliminary assessment after the commission determined a full investigation was required to assess whether the proposal would lessen competition.
The investigation found several competition concerns relating to the supply of hosting services on macro passive network infrastructure sites, according to the CCPC press release.
Concerns included an increase in market concentration through the loss of close competition between Phoenix and Cellnex resulting in higher prices and/or lover service quality for customers.
Phoenix has made several binding commitments to the CCPC to address these potential concerns including the divestment of sites in areas where the effect of the transaction would reduce the number of competitors offering hosted services (from 3-2, or 2-1).
New sites developed within the same areas will also be divested where new sites become part of an existing agreement between Phoenix, Cellnex and an operator. This would allow a competing operator to enter or expand in the market, and replace competition lost due to the merger.
The CCPC will publish it’s full determination on it’s website within 60 days of the date of determination.
