HPE’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks has been cleared by the UK competition watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The regulator has not yet published the reasoning for its decision, but said today it is happy for the all-cash transaction to go ahead. It opened a probe into the deal in June over fears it could reduce competition in the UK market for networking gear.
With the EU having approved the takeover last week, it is set to be completed by early 2025, barring a late intervention from the US Federal Trade Commission, which has not yet indicated it has any concerns about the deal.
First announced in January, the acquisition will double the size of HPE’s networking business. It has been approved by the directors of both companies.
Founded in 1996 and based in Sunnyvale, California, New York-listed Juniper provides networking products, including routers, switches, network management software, network security products, and software-defined networking technology.
HPE already offers switches via its Aruba Networks unit – acquired in 2015.
Meanwhile, as one investigation closes, another is opening at the CMA, with the regulator set to take a look at IBM’s proposed $6.4 billion acquisition of infrastructure management software vendor Hashicorp.
In a regulatory filing in the US, Hashicorp said it had been contacted by the CMA confirming that a Phase One investigation into the take-over would be held. The CMA has yet to officially announce a probe.
This deal, announced in April, is due to close by the end of the year.