Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Networking

    AT&T to Consider Vodafone Assets Following Verizon Deal: Report

    By
    Michelle Maisto
    -
    August 30, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      With Vodafone keen to swap assets for cash, AT&T is interested in seeing what it might walk away with.

      Vodafone confirmed Aug. 29 that it’s in negotiations with Verizon Communications to sell the latter its 45 percent stake in their joint venture. When the pair is through, AT&T plans to “examine [Vodafone’s] remaining assets,” Reuters reported Aug. 30, citing people familiar with the matter.

      The report added that AT&T is only interested in wireless assets and “would be discouraged if Vodafone expands in cable and fixed line.”

      Verizon has reportedly been trying for years to acquire complete control of its wireless business. In April, there were rumors that AT&T would play a role in that. The Financial Times blog reported April 2 that AT&T and Verizon were putting together a bid to buy Vodafone in which Verizon would acquire Vodafone’s 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless and AT&T would acquire Vodafone’s extensive business holdings outside the United States. The deal was said to have the potential to be the largest merger and acquisition deal on record.

      Verizon is said to be currently negotiating with Vodafone at a price point around $130 billion, according to Reuters.

      Full control of Verizon Wireless would enable Verizon to be more nimble and responsive in a more competitive market than it has been in years. While Verizon and AT&T have dominated, number-three carrier Sprint has a new influx of cash, from its merger deal with Softbank this summer, and T-Mobile, newly merged with MetroPCS, is showing a feistiness—shedding two-year contracts, making it easier to upgrade devices more frequently—that consumers are responding to positively.

      As Verizon works to keep growing its bottom line, it’s also considering a move into Canada. In June, it was said to be considering an acquisition of Wind Mobile.

      “We’re looking at the opportunity. This is just us dipping our toe in the water,” Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo told The Wall Street Journal June 18.

      If AT&T has no involvement in Verizon’s Vodafone deal, Canada might be where it looks next.

      “If Verizon starts moving to become a national player in Canada, AT&T would do something similar,” Gartner analyst Bill Menezes told eWEEK Aug. 29. “The Canadian market is significantly smaller than in the U.S., but there are still opportunities there to grab competitive market share to grow economies of scale.”

      However, some analysts believe that talk of buying Wind may have “just been a bargaining chip against Vodafone,” Canada’s The Globe and Mail reported Aug. 30.

      Though Tim Casey, an analyst with BMO Nesbitt Burns, told The Globe and Mail that it appears that Verizon has the “financial scale to pursue both opportunities” and that Verizon is likely to submit an initial (refundable) deposit to participate in an upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction.

      Michelle Maisto
      Michelle Maisto has been covering the enterprise mobility space for a decade, beginning with Knowledge Management, Field Force Automation and eCRM, and most recently as the editor-in-chief of Mobile Enterprise magazine. She earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University, and in her spare time obsesses about food. Her first book, The Gastronomy of Marriage, if forthcoming from Random House in September 2009.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×