BT / TalkTalk merger inquiry
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the completed acquisition by British Telecommunications Limited of TalkTalk Telecommunications Limited and PlatformX Communications Limited.
Statutory timetable
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 19 October 2026 | Deadline for CMA to deliver report to Secretary of State |
| 5 October 2026 to 9 October 2026 | Invitation to comment |
| 5 October 2026 | Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport issued a public interest intervention notice |
Phase 1
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport – public interest intervention notice
On 5 October 2026, The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (the Secretary of State) issued a public interest intervention notice (PIIN) on the existing public interest ground of public health emergency and new proposed public interest ground of preventing disruption to public services, critical national infrastructure, and supply to customers who are or may be vulnerable, in accordance with sections 42(2), 58(2E) and 58(3) of the Enterprise Act 2002 (the Act) in relation to the completed acquisition by British Telecommunications Limited of TalkTalk Telecommunications Limited and PlatformX Communications Limited (the Transaction).
This means that the Secretary of State will decide on whether the Transaction operates, or may be expected to operate, against the public interest and should be referred to a phase 2 assessment, taking into account both competition and public interest issues.
The CMA is required to investigate and submit a report to the Secretary of State on this Transaction in accordance with section 44 of the Act by 5pm on 19 October 2026. The report will include the CMA’s assessment of whether it believes that it is, or may be, the case that this transaction has resulted in the creation of a relevant merger situation under the merger provisions of the Act and, if so, whether the creation of that situation has resulted or may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within any market(s) in the United Kingdom for goods or services.
The report will also include advice on the considerations relevant to the making of a reference under section 22 of the Act which are also relevant to the Secretary of State’s decision, and a summary of any representations the CMA receives which relate to the public interest considerations specified in the PIIN and which are or may be relevant to the Secretary of State’s decision.
Invitation to comment: closes on 9 October 2026
To assist it with this assessment, the CMA invites comments on the Transaction from any interested party.
Written representations about any competition or public interest issues should be provided by the deadline set out above.
Contact
Please send written representations about any competition or public interest issues to:
Privacy notice
Your name and contact details are your personal data. In collecting, receiving, storing, accessing and using your personal data, the CMA, as controller, is processing your personal data. The CMA processes personal data in accordance with data protection law. The CMA is processing your personal data so that it can contact you again, should it need further help or information from you, in order to carry out its merger work under Part 3 of the Enterprise Act 2002.
For more information about how the CMA processes personal data and your rights relating to that data, please read our personal information charter.