Viasat's $7.3 Billion Acquisition of Inmarsat Receives Unconditional Clearance in all Global Jurisdictions

On May 31, 2023, Viasat closed its $7.3 billion acquisition of Inmarsat. Compass Lexecon was retained by counsel at Latham & Watkins and Steptoe & Johnson to represent the parties in connection with the deal, which combines two of the leading providers of satellite-based broadband connectivity for civilian and military applications. The transaction was investigated by multiple authorities, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the European Commission, the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority, and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. The deal was cleared unconditionally globally.

A Compass Lexecon team led by Jon Orszag, Nathan Wilson, and Bo Bourke supported counsel throughout U.S. authorities’ merger investigation process. In addition to assisting with Second Request and other compliance-related issues, Compass Lexecon also contributed to multiple white papers, submissions, and presentations to the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission. The Federal Communications Commission’s order clearing the transaction relied heavily on submissions from Compass Lexecon in concluding that the transaction would not give rise to competitive effects.

Jon Orszag, Nathan Wilson, and Bo Bourke were supported by a team that included Maria Stoyadinova, Prerana Nanda, Mariah Witteveen, Rudra Ramchandran, Hadjara Gado, and Linjun Peng. Compass Lexecon also worked closely with RBB Economics and Linklaters on the European-based investigations.