By Tony Hallett, 13 January 2003 15:30
NEWS Vodafone is in discussions to take sole ownership of its mobile operations in Sweden, Portugal and the Netherlands. In a statement, the mobile giant said it is engaged in talks with the boards of Europolitan Vodafone AB, Vodafone Telecel-Comunicacoes Pessoais SA and Vodafone Libertel NV. It is making respective cash offers of E4.90, E8.50 and E11.00 per share, meaning the combined deals would cost it about E2bn. They would be paid for from Vodafone Group cash resources and existing credit facilities. The company stated it has no plans to offer to buy the minority holdings it does not own in Vodafone Panafon SA in Greece or Japan Telecom Holdings Company. Despite the downturn - which has left most telcos globally looking to sell units and stakes -Vodafone has tried to take full control of many of the networks it is involved in around the world. It has also entered several partnerships with smaller mobile operators that mean it will share its services and brands with their customer bases, with no exchange of equity.
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