INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
next two weeks, according to the FT.The two firms have been engaged in discussions for the best part of three years, with talks first held
in 2015 about a possible exchange of assets
Those ended without agreement but in 2016, the two firms agreed to merge their mobile and cable operators in the Netherlands in a bid to
take on incumbent KPN.Vodafone has invested significantly in fixed assets in recent years, both through the construction and acquisition of
superfast broadband networks, and sees the convergence of mobile and fixed as essential for its future prospects.ConsolidationIndeed, market
fragmentation and challenging regulatory environments have been cited by many European operators as causes for concern as traditional
revenue streams are being squeezed
This has made it difficult to invest in new network technologies like 5G and fibre to the premise (FTTP).Vodafone wants to consolidate
several European territories so it can achieve the economies of scale that would allow it to rival the US and Asian telecom giants who are
able to justify the investment needed in network upgrades.Liberty Global has been consolidating the European cable market for some time with
Germany, which itself has been formed through the purchase of several formerly independent regional operators created when incumbent
Deutsche Telekom was forced to spin off its cable assets in the early 1990s.However Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hottges has already voiced his
opposition to the tie-up, arguing it would give Vodafone too much power in the German market, leading to a war of words between himself and
Vittorio Colao, his counterpart at Vodafone.The UK has not been a market under serious discussion, but earlier this year Colao refused to
