On 2 October 2026 the CMA published its interim report on nexfibre / Substantial, provisionally finding that the merger may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition in the wholesale supply of fixed broadband services, as its case page and report summary show.
The market resolves on the nexfibre / Substantial case page at gov.uk/cma-cases, which the CMA updates on the day it publishes an interim report (provisional findings) and its summary. YES if a document published on or before 31 October 2026 records that the group has provisionally found that the merger may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition in any market; a provisional clearance, or no interim report by the date, resolves NO. If that source has not published in time, Reuters and BBC News reports of the interim report settle it.
Five telecoms mergers reached this stage with findings on record. We set the rule before counting: every telecoms merger the CMA sent to a Phase 2 review whose first findings, now called an interim report, are published on its case page. We asked one thing: did those findings say the deal would substantially reduce competition? Three older cases have only final results on record, so they are left out.