Vodafone CEO: Liberty Deal Not "Blueprint" for Other Markets
February 16 2016 - 5:33AM
Dow Jones News
By Maarten van Tartwijk
Vodafone Group PLC's (VOD) move to form a joint venture
combining its operations in the Netherlands with those of Liberty
Global PLC (LBTYA) isn't necessarily a model for bigger markets
like the U.K. and Germany, its chief executive said Tuesday.
"I don't believe in blueprints. Every country is different, and
the competitors are different," Vittorio Colao said during a
conference call with analysts. "Vodafone sometimes acquires assets,
sometimes we accept partners. There is no such thing as a
blueprint."
The Dutch deal would merge Liberty Global's cable and Internet
businesses with Vodafone's mobile operations to create a
country-wide communications provider with more than 15 million
subscribers. It comes amid a wave of consolidation in the European
cable and telecom industry, as operators are keen on benefiting
from so-called "quadruple plays"--providing fixed-line telephony,
mobile, Internet broadband and pay-television.
Mr. Colao said this convergence strategy is a "market-by-market
thing" since every country has its own regulations, dominant
companies and assets.
"We operate in a business that is heavily infrastructural, so
strategies need to be flexible," he said.
Write to Maarten van Tartwijk at Maarten.vanTartwijk@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 16, 2016 05:18 ET (10:18 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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