The South African Competition Commission has unconditionally approved the proposed acquisition of local messaging company SMSPortal by Norway-based LINK Mobility Group Holding ASA.
Founded in Cape Town, SMSPortal has become a leader in the cloud communications (CPaaS) industry as it evolve with its ever-changing customer base.
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According to a notice from the regulator, the deal involves LINK Mobility using a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to acquire 100% of SMSPortal. The Commission found that the transaction is “unlikely to substantially lessen or prevent competition in any market” and raised no significant public interest concerns.
LINK Mobility, a publicly traded company on the Oslo Stock Exchange, is a major European provider of Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) solutions, including bulk SMS messaging, in countries like the UK, France, and Denmark. The Commission noted that the Acquiring Group currently has no operations in South Africa.
SMSPortal, which is jointly controlled by Decima Investments and JPDP Investments, is also a CPaaS provider, specialising in bulk SMS messaging solutions for the South African market.
The regulator concluded that the merger does not create any horizontal overlaps in South Africa, as LINK has no existing presence, effectively eliminating any potential competition concerns.
