Tories Fear Slower 4G Rollout Would Be Nail In The Coffin For Ailing Rural Voters

Conservative MPs have expressed concern that a proposed merger of two of the country's four mobile networks could result in bigger phone bills and rural areas waiting longer for 4G coverage, and are calling for thorough scrutiny of the deal. 

Vodafone and Three UK have announced plans to become one company, which if approved by authorities would reduce the number of mobile networks operating in the UK from four to three.

The two giants have said the deal would be "great for customers, great for the country and great for competition", and have argued that an enlarged company would be in a stronger position to invest in the country's connectivity infrastructure.

However, some Tory MPs have expressed concern about the impact of any potential merger and are calling on the Competition Markets Authority (CMA), the government body which is responsible for deciding whether it should go ahead on competition grounds, to carry out a rigorous assessment of the impact it could have on consumers.

The CMA opened a phase one inquiry into the proposed merger last month and has said it will decide in March whether to approve the deal or instead launch a more in-depth, phase two investigation.

Chris Loder, the Conservative MP for West Dorset, told PoliticsHome the CMA is "right" to study the details of the proposed merger and that he had "genuine concerns" for how it could impact rural communities, "some of whom are lucky to have 3G connectivity".

He said: "The commercial pursuit of 5G overlooks the reality in rural Britain, where not-spots exist and the scale of investment made by these operators is questionable, as is their commitment to ensuring all parts of the country are connected. 

"I also have reservations about the impact on competitive