Vodafone

Could Verizon and Vodafone be getting closer to ending their joint ownership of Verizon's wireless business?

Reuters reported Wednesday that Verizon has hired banking and legal advisers to put together a $100 billion bid for Vodafone's share of Verizon Wireless, the No. 1 wireless carrier in the U.S., and that Verizon's board is expected to discuss details of a potential buyout next week, at a meeting prior to its annual shareholder meeting.

Unnamed sources told the news agency that Verizon is confident it can raise about $50 billion from bank financing and that the rest of … Read more

Contradicting a report from earlier today, Verizon said it has no plans to acquire Vodafone, either on its own or with a bidding partner.

Citing "usually reliable people," the Financial Times had reported that Verizon was teaming with AT&T to buy Vodafone, in a deal worth $245 billion.

Under the deal, the FT reported, Verizon would acquire the 45 percent stake Vodafone currently owns in its U.S. operations. The remainder of Vodafone's business outside the U.S. would go to AT&T.

But in a regulatory filing made today in response to media … Read more

Verizon and AT&T could be teaming up to make a huge bid for the world's second-largest mobile carrier, Vodafone.

The deal, if it's signed, would see Verizon and AT&T offer 260 pence ($3.93) per share for Vodafone, representing about a 40 percent premium on the company's share price, Financial Times is reporting today, citing "usually reliable people" who claim to have knowledge of the deal. If signed, Vodafone would be valued at $245 billion.

According to the Financial Times, the deal would be quite complex. Verizon would acquire the 45 … Read more

Verizon and Vodafone want to square away their long-standing relationship -- tied together by Verizon Wireless -- this year, according a report from Bloomberg.

Verizon Wireless, which is jointly owned by Verizon and Vodafone, has long been a source of questions over when the two telco giants would resolve the arrangement. Verizon has for years sought to buy out Vodafone's stake in Verizon Wireless, while Vodafone has agitated for a better return from the fast-growing asset.

Verizon and Vodafone now are exploring a range of options, from ending the joint venture to merging the two companies. The two have … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Mobile network operators traditionally use Mobile World Congress to call for lower taxes and more wireless spectrum. This year, a new word has entered the wish list: harmonization.

The mobile industry today must deal with a hodgepodge of electromagnetic frequencies that differ from carrier to carrier and country to country. Franco Bernabe, chief executive of Telecom Italia, wants to see not just more spectrum for wireless operators, but also spectrum that's not so fragmented.

"It's not just about having the right amount of spectrum. It's critical that the spectrum is harmonized on a global basis,&… Read more

Vodafone, the European wireless carrier that owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless, isn't sure if its stake will change in a year's time.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal in an interview published today, Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao said "I don't know" if it's possible for Vodafone's stake to be changed a year from now, but he's willing to keep an open mind "on everything."

Vodafone and Verizon Wireless combined forces in 2000. Since then, Verizon has watched its star soar and its need for help from Vodafone wane. Verizon … Read more

Research In Motion's BlackBerry service is experiencing problems in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Vodafone has confirmed, with many unable to access data services on their devices.

Some BlackBerry customers are not able to receive their e-mail or communicate over instant messaging. According to Reuters, Vodafone is working "closely" with RIM to restore the service as quickly as possible.

The problem comes only a couple of weeks away from the long-awaited BlackBerry 10 launch, in which the Canadian smartphone maker will release the next-generation platform and smartphones on a bevy of networks.

It's not clear … Read more

Ppl! Txting is 20 yrs old! Thats soo GR8!

Depending on your perspective, you might thank or blame Matti Makkonen, the pioneer of texting, for how it changed human communication.

Just don't shoot the first texter.

Neil Papworth is the British-born engineer who actually sent the first text message, 20 years ago today. Typed out on a PC, it was sent to a Richard Jarvis of Vodafone and read: Merry Christmas. … Read more

Vodafone, one of the larger carriers in the world, is bringing a mobile-payments service to its customers next year.

The companies announced the plans today, saying that CorFire -- the mobile-commerce arm of SK C&C, a South Korea-based IT service provider -- will deliver the technology behind it. According to CorFire, Vodafone customers will be able to make payments from their smartphones, just as customers do with competing services, like Google Wallet.

The deal could be a major opportunity for CorFire, since Vodafone has over 406 million customers in 30 countries around the world.

However, CorFire needs to … Read more