United Group completed an acquisition of Greek operator Wind Hellas from Crystal Almond Holdings for an undisclosed sum. The deal further bolsters its presence in SEE’s mobile markets after an acquisition of Vivacom in Bulgaria in 2020.

The Wind Hellas deal was given the green light by the European Commission in December 2021. United Group now plans to combine the unit with its existing Greek fixed- and pay TV brand Nova.

Wind Hellas provides mobile, fixed and TV services to a total of 4.2 million users across its various products. GSMA Intelligence connection figures for Q2 2021 placed the company as Greece’s smallest operator of three with 3.7 million, behind Vodafone Greece (4.1 million) and market leader Cosmote (7 million).

United Group claims to be the “leading provider of telecommunications services and media” in southeastern Europe and has various units in eight markets. In addition to buying Vivacom in 2020, it has acquired Croatian fixed player Optima Telekom to add to its mobile business in the country.

The group also recruited Nokia as its sole core vendor for its mobile units in Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia.

In a new year message, United Group CEO Victoriya Boklag said 2021 had been “another transformative year” for the group and predicted an “exciting year” in 2022, with ongoing initiatives including construction of 10G fixed networks and 5G networks, along with investments in new television studios and original content.