UPC to complete Poland merger by Q1 2012

US-owned cableco UPC Poland will complete its formal merger with Aster in the first quarter of 2012. CEO Simon Boyd said at a press conference that the process of integration was already underway and that the combined company would pass 2.5 million homes. As previously reported by CommsUpdate, the Liberty Global subsidiary received conditional consent from Poland’s competition watchdog to purchase 100% of its local rival, from Mid Europa Partners in September this year. The regulator acquiesced to the deal with the caveat that UPC must, within 18 months, resell parts of its network formerly belonging to Aster where services had previously been provided by both companies. In addition, in those buildings previously served by both operators, Aster customers must be given the option to choose an alternative provider without incurring a penalty.