Vodafone Reviews UK Lobbying Brief
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By Ravi Chandiramani  Vodafone has put its UK PA account - one of the most prestigious commercial lobbying contracts - up for grabs.
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VODAFONE posted what chief executive Arun Sarin described as &quot;a robust set of half year results&quot; on Tuesday. * Group turnover of Â£16.8 billion.
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(InfoWorld) - Vodafone Group has denied a Monday report by the Financial Times that it was considering buying Verizon Communications in a huge $160 billion deal. The paper, citing unnamed sources, said the international mobile operator was contemplating such a deal but hadn't approached Verizon and wouldn't necessarily go ahead with it. But Verizon's shares were up $1 at $42.76 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Vodafone issued a statement to the London Stock Exchange to squelch the report. "Vodafone notes press speculation that it is considering a possible offer for Verizon Communications. Vodafone wishes to make it clear that it has no plans to make such an offer," the statement said. Vodafone owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless, the rest of which is owned by incumbent wireline carrier Verizon Communications. The dual ownership could tie Verizon's hands as it goes up against rival AT&T, which now owns all of its mobile business and is moving toward "quad-play" bundles of broadband, video, wireline voice, and mobile services. The arrangement gives Vodafone a stake in a profitable U.S. mobile business but doesn't allow it to chart its own course in the market. Vodafone tried to acquire AT&T Wireless in 2004 but was outbid by Cingular. The company has expanded aggressively in other countries, including Germany, where it bought Mannesman in 2000. Buying all of Verizon would create a company valued at about $300 billion. But as part of the deal, Vodafone might spin off Verizon's wireline business in order to build an all-wireless carrier, the Financial Times said. Verizon is the second-largest U.S. carrier behind AT&T in both wired and wireless customers. It had 60.7 million wireless subscribers and 7.4 million broadband customers at the end of the first quarter. Its Fios TV fiber-to-the-home service had attracted about 348,000 households. Verizon also operates a global enterprise communications business. Vodafone, based in Newbury, U.K., had 198.6 million customers across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Â and the Asia-Pacific region at the end of last year.
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Vodafone customers will be able to access and update their MySpace websites from their mobile phone, the firms say.
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Vodafone UK has introduced a service that will allow businesses to send and receive text messages from their desktops. The Vodafone Text Center is interoperable with MS Outlook and IBM Lotus Notes.
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VODAFONE shares fell nearly 3 per cent yesterday on fears that the mobile phone group could come under pressure from its US partner to provide $25 billion (Â£13 billion) to help to finance a bid for Sprint.
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Vodafone, the world&#39;s largest mobile phone operator, today finally launched its third generation (3G) services as it seeks to recoup Â£16.
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Mobile phone giant Vodafone reported that it had attracted 4.5 million new customers during the first quarter of its financial year.
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The misinformation and confusion over whether or not the US mobile phone company Verizon Wireless, part owned by Vodafone, is going to muscle in on the $35bn (Â£18bn) merger of rivals Sprint and Nextel continued yesterday with hedge funds playing both
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Vodafone, the UK-based telecom company that co-owns Verizon Wireless, denies that it is involved in a bid to take over US telco Sprint.
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Cell phone giant Vodafone Group sought on Wednesday to restore faith in its phones as it unveiled plans for 10 new third-generation (3G) handsets for Christmas to help shore up its struggling Japanese unit.
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Verison and its global partner Vodafone may enter the bidding war for another mobile phone giant, Sprint, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
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Mobile phone firm Vodafone is to enter the UK fixed-line broadband market after striking a deal with BT Group.
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A small, rebel shareholder sought to  step up the pressure on Vodafone Group Plc  on Tuesday,  saying the British mobile phone company had no clear strategy  for its stake in U.S. joint venture Verizon Wireless.
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Wireless telecommunications company Vodafone Group Plc  has been considering a $160 billion takeover bid of Verizon Communications , the Financial Times reported on Monday on its Alphaville site.
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Vodafone seems to be lining up a November launch of its 3G mobile phone service for the consumer user. To date the operartor has only offered next generation mobile serivces on a selective basis to business users.
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Global telecommunications giant Vodafone on Thursday said it would retain its 45 percent stake in US company Verizon Wireless, rejecting proposals from an activist shareholder group.