Finnish mobile operator Elisa cleared to acquire cable operator Starman
Finnish telco Elisa has been given the go-ahead to acquire pay-TV outfit Starman by the Estonian Competition Authority in a deal worth €151m ($162m). Elisa, which recorded revenue of €99.3m in 2016, holds 34% of Estonia's post-paid mobile market and 37% of the country's prepaid market, while Starman commands 35% of the cable TV sector and 20% of the fixed internet market. The merger is set to close by April.

20 Mar 2017

Elisa has confirmed that the Estonian Competition Authority (ECA) has cleared its acquisition of local pay-TV and broadband operator Starman. Finland-based Elisa announced in December that its Estonian unit would acquire Starman from Polaris Invest and Com Holding for EUR151 million (USD162 million). Elisa expects the deal to close by the end of April.

Starman is the second largest broadband provider in Estonia, with an estimated 99,000 subscribers at the end of 2016, while it is also the country’s largest pay-TV operator, with around 120,000 cable TV customers and 60,000 digital terrestrial users. Elisa, meanwhile, is the second largest mobile network operator (MNO) in Estonia. The purchase of Starman will give it a fully converged portfolio of services which will mean it is better placed to challenge dominant fixed and mobile operator Telia Eesti (formerly Eesti Telekom).