THE WATCHDOG probe into the £5.4bn takeover of British satellite giant Inmarsat by US rival Viasat is not expected to knock the deal off course.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) yesterday launched an official inquiry into the satellite megadeal, which is intended to forge a combined company to rival SpaceX.

The CMA, which invited onlookers to comment on the deal in late July, will have until 5 October to form its decision for phase one of the probe.

While the takeover has been put on hold until regulatory approval, Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg said on the company's first quarter earnings call on Monday that "it's possible that we could still close by the end of the year", adding that bosses will have "a lot more information over the next two or three months".

"It's possible to extend out to 18 months or it's conceivable to go beyond. We will learn a lot more over the next few weeks to a month or two," Dankberg continued.

In a statement yesterday, Inmarsat said that it will "co-operate fully" with the CMA review, adding: "The regulatory process on the Viasat-Inmarsat transaction remains on track."

In December last year, MPs called for the deal to be subject to a review under the National Security and Investment Act. The status of the probe is unclear.

The deal comes amid a wave of consolidation in the global satellite sector.

Last month, the government announced that taxpayer-backed Oneweb was also undergoing a merger with France's Eutelsat, which is expected to go through similar reviews.

City A.M. has contacted the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for comment.

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