The Inmarsat acquisition was completed at the end of May 2023,

[tanjimajuha20]

In early April, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) filed a lawsuit in the Moscow Arbitration Court against the American Viasat Inc. and the British Inmarsat Global Limited, according to the case file. The agency is challenging the share purchase and sale agreement between these companies, concluded in November 2021, as a result of which Viasat came to own Inmarsat, since, as stated in the case materials, the transaction was carried out in violation of the requirements of Russian antimonopoly legislation.

with shareholders receiving $551 million macedonia whatsapp resource in cash and about 46.36 million shares of the combined company. It was approved by regulators in the US, UK and EU. As for Russia, as a source familiar with the preparation of the deal told RBC in mid-2023, Viasat had submitted a petition to the FAS to acquire the asset back in early 2022, but the service notified the company of the need to obtain approval from the government commission for control over foreign investments, and the application was never received within the three months allotted for this.

A representative of the FAS told RBC that Viasat did not receive approval to acquire 100% of the shares of Connect Topco Limited (through this structure Viasat acquired Inmarsat), thus violating Article 6 of the Law "On Foreign Investments". "In connection with this, the service conducted an investigation, revealed the fact of an illegal transaction, collected the necessary evidence and filed a lawsuit to declare this transaction invalid," he said.

What is Inmarsat
Inmarsat is an international company headquartered in London, founded in 1979 as an intergovernmental organization (including the participation of the USSR - through the All-Union Association "Morsvyazsputnik") in the field of providing maritime navigation, which was subsequently transformed into a commercial structure. It has 14 communications satellites, provides telephone services, data transmission, communications for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), etc.

Inmarsat serves airlines, shipping operators, military forces, international aid agencies, as well as commercial companies operating in mining, logistics, agriculture and other sectors.

In Russia, Inmarsat is represented through a local partner, FSUE Morsvyazsputnik, which owns the necessary licenses and frequencies to provide services. In early 2014, the company registered a subsidiary, Isat Global Express, to provide commercial broadband Internet access services in the satellite Ka-band, but by the end of 2023, this company's revenue had dropped to zero.

Earlier, a source of RBC in the satellite communications market said that Inmarsat assured the FAS that after the takeover, Viasat would continue to provide services for the GMDSS on the Russian market. At the same time, Viasat and Inmarsat wanted to liquidate Isat Global Express, but this requires approval from the government commission.