Vodafone, Hutchison in talks to merge UK ops / Photo: Daniel LEAL - AFP/File
-
Physicians Urge Arizona to Ban Medical Gag Clauses and Enable Private Lawsuits
-
China Extends Tariff Suspension on US Imports to Stabilize Trade Ties
-
New Campaign Highlights Knowledge Gaps on Carbon Monoxide Safety Among Americans
-
JR East Launches 'teppay' to Integrate Suica Balance with Mobile Payments
-
GoodData.AI Launches the Agentic Serving Plane, a New Category of Enterprise Data Infrastructure for AI Agents
-
Securitas Healthcare Introduces a New Era of RTLS Built for the Future of Healthcare Operations
-
US Government Questions Effectiveness of Waymo’s School Bus Software Fix
-
First-time boat buyers advised to assess full ownership costs
-
Panthers expected to begin 2027 NRL season away from new stadium
-
Planning and preparation can reduce stress of interstate relocation
-
Sweet As app launches restaurant discovery platform
-
Two more arrested in Carrie Mullane suspected murder investigation
-
MLA seeks inquiry into reported sectarian gestures on Ormeau Road
-
Mayo school appeals for information after convent and chapel vandalism
-
Louise O’Reilly attacks Simon Harris over unemployment remarks
-
GLP-1 Users Show Higher Rates of Nail Detachment in New Studies
-
Virginia overwhelms Arkansas 91-72 behind balanced scoring
-
Canadian soldier Aidan Goulding remembered at Vancouver funeral
-
Second major storm brings destructive winds and outages to British Columbia
-
Tayyab Arif hits 57 on Pakistan Test debut against Sri Lanka
-
Godzilla Minus Zero leads North American box office with $31.6m
-
Robert Trujillo discusses literacy and social justice children’s books
Vodafone, Hutchison in talks to merge UK ops
Vodafone on Monday confirmed it was in talks over merging its UK operations with rival Three UK, owned by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison.
Vodafone said a combination would allow "the necessary scale to be able to accelerate the rollout of full 5G in the UK", which has been partly hampered by Britain banning Chinese giant Huawei from involvement in the technology offering faster downloads than 4G.
Vodafone said it would have a majority 51-percent stake and CK Hutchison the remainder in a non-cash deal.
A merger would "expand broadband connectivity to rural communities and small businesses" in the UK, the statement said.
"The UK government rightly sees 5G as transformational for the economy and society and critical to the UK becoming more competitive in an increasingly digital world," it added.
Vodafone's share price was up about three percent in late trading on London's FTSE 100 index, which was rising only slightly.
Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, noted the possibility of "significant regulatory hurdles ahead for the deal, as the authorities weigh up the potential ceding ownership of more core UK infrastructure to an overseas owner".
"Clearly much still needs to be agreed and it's far from certain that this is a done deal, but if it is signed the joint venture with Three UK would create the biggest player in the UK mobile industry," she added.
P.Queiroz--PC
