Vodafone ‘nears deal’ with Tiscali
9th June 2008
The world’s largest mobile operator Vodafone is close to a successful bid for fixed-line broadband firm Tiscali, according to reports.
If successful, the telecoms company will look to focus on converged services, offering films, music and sport over the internet, which will be accessible on phones, computers and TV, the Observer suggests.
The £1.2 billion bid would place Vodafone among BT, BSkyB and Virgin Media in the table of the biggest UK broadband providers.
Currently, Tiscali has around seven million customers around the country.
Although BSkyB, Swisscom, Carphone Warehouse and BT have also made offers for Tiscali, only Vodafone is prepared to bid for both the UK and Italian arms of the business.
The bidding follows a successful merger between US-based Verizon Wireless - where Vodafone owns a 45 per cent stake - and AllTel in a £14 billion deal.
Vodafone already operates a mobile broadband service in the UK with planned infrastructural upgrades in the summer intended to improve access and speeds further.
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