Australia's TPG Telecom, Vodafone unite to take on rivals

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's TPG Telecom Ltd agreed a merger with Vodafone Group's Australian business on Wednesday, easing competition in the cut-throat sector and buying scale to take on bigger rivals Telstra Corp Ltd and Optus.It combines Australia's third- and fourth-largest telecom firms into a larger third player holding TPG's fibre network and Vodafone's mobile system, sending shares on both sides of the deal soaring.The tie-up, to be called TPG, comes as Australia's telco sector..