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He learned Saudi Arabia's largest telecoms operator, STC Group, aimed to be Telefonica's biggest shareholder, with an interest of 9.9%. The move is a vote of confidence in Telefonica, burdened by billions of dollars in debt while STC gains expertise to modernize Saudi telecoms infrastructure. As Telefonica's rivals slashed prices to attract internet users, the Spanish company also borrowed to invest in new mobile and internet networks. STC sought to keep the stake under wraps until it could buy at least 9.9% of Telefonica, the person said. Middle Eastern investors have been taking stakes in Spanish companies for some time.

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, Jose Maria Alvarez, Pallete, Alvarez, Prince Mohammed bin Salman's, UGT, Morgan Stanley, Linklaters, Motaz Al Angari, Al Angari, pare, EFG Hermes, Inti Landauro, Tomas Cobos, Amy, Jo Crowley, Pablo Mayo, John O'Donnell, Anousha, Elisa Martinuzzi, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Spanish Telecom, REUTERS, Rights, Telefonica, STC Group, STC, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Foresight, Saudi, United Arab, Vodafone, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Rights DUBAI, MADRID, Silicon Valley, Saudi, Riyadh, Telefonica, Saudi Arabia, Spanish, Latin America, theocracies, United Arab Emirates, Iberdrola, Davos, Gulf, London

Its shares had lost almost half their value in the last 12 months prior to news of its exploring a sale. The Irvine, California-based company is being advised by investment bank Qatalyst Partners on its discussions with potential acquirers, which include private equity firms, the sources said. Alteryx shares ended trading on Wednesday up 14% on the news at $34.58. In recent years, Alteryx has transitioned to a subscription-focused business model as part of a strategy to tap into growing demand for data analytics services. In its most recent quarter, Alteryx posted a net loss of $120 million due to higher sales and marketing expenses.

Persons: Alteryx, Dean Stoecker, Qatalyst, Milana Vinn, Nick Zieminski, Stephen Coates Organizations: Alteryx, Microsoft Corp, Oracle Corp, Qatalyst Partners, Insight Partners, Cola, Vodafone Plc, Walmart Inc, Ford Motor Company, North America, Thomson Locations: Irvine , California, Alteryx, New York

A guest speaks on a mobile phone as she arrives for the French telecoms operator Iliad's media conference in Milan, Italy, May 29, 2018. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 30 (Reuters) - French telecom provider Iliad reported a more than 4% rise in half-year core profit on Wednesday, supported by gains across markets and the expansion of its activities in Italy. Telecommunications companies across Europe have been hit by rising energy prices, infrastructure costs to deploy fibre and 5G coverage, and a slowdown in subscriber growth. The group remains on the lookout for potential acquisitions in Italy after its 2022 Vodafone bid was rejected, he said. ($1 = 0.9204 euros)Reporting by Stéphanie Hamel and Victor Goury-Laffont in Gdansk; Editing by Milla NissiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stefano Rellandini, Thomas Raynaud, Raynaud, Stéphanie Hamel, Victor Goury, Milla Nissi Organizations: REUTERS, French, Orange, Telecommunications, Free Mobile, U.S, Telecom Italia's, Vodafone, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, France, Poland, Europe, Laffont, Gdansk

☆ India's Jio launches Netflix subscription on prepaid plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A man walks across the LED board showing the logo of Jio at the ongoing India Mobile Congress 2022, at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi, India, October 3, 2022. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 18 (Reuters) - Reliance Jio Infocomm, the telecom arm of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), said on Friday it has launched a Netflix subscription on prepaid plans. Jio said that around 400 million prepaid customers will get the option of availing a Netflix subscription through two packages, one priced at 1,099 rupees ($13.23), which will give access to Netflix on mobile platforms, and the other for 1,499 rupees, providing access to a basic package for large screens. Jio's peers, Bharti Airtel (BRTI.NS) and Vodafone Idea (VODA.NS), provide subscription to the Disney+ Hotstar streaming service through prepaid bundled plans. ($1 = 83.0797 Indian rupees)Reporting by Ashna Teresa Britto; Editing by Sonia CheemaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Anushree, Mukesh, Jio, Tony Zameczkowski, Ashna Teresa Britto, Sonia Cheema Organizations: Mobile, REUTERS, Reliance Industries, Netflix, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Disney, Jio, Thomson Locations: Pragati, New Delhi, India

☆ Safaricom launches M-Pesa mobile money service in Ethiopia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A customer displays the package of a Safaricom Ethiopia sim card during the service launch in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, October 6, 2022. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsADDIS ABABA, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Safaricom's (SCOM.NR) M-Pesa mobile money service went live in Ethiopia on Wednesday, in a boost to the Kenyan telecoms operator as it seeks to kickstart growth in one of Africa's biggest economies. The company also faces stiff competition from Ethio Telecom, whose profits more than doubled in its latest financial year. In July, Ethio Telecom reported having more than 34 million subscribers to its mobile money service Telebirr. Mobile money services are common in East Africa, allowing customers to send and receive money and pay for goods and services.

Persons: Safaricom, Stanley Njoroge, Dawit, Elias Biryabarema, Aaron Ross, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Tiksa, South Africa’s Vodacom, Britain’s Vodafone, Democratic, Ethio Telecom, Thomson Locations: Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, ADDIS ABABA, Horn of Africa, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Mobile, East Africa

☆ Indian shares set to open lower; domestic inflation data in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Manvi Pant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A security guard walks past the logo of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) inside its building in Mumbai, India, May 28, 2019. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File PhotoBENGALURU, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Indian shares on Monday are expected to start on a slightly weaker note in the holiday-truncated week as earnings season draws to a close, ahead of domestic retail inflation data due later in the day. India's GIFT Nifty on the NSE International Exchange was down 0.28% at 19,432 at 7.58 a.m. IST. Foreign investors sold shares worth 30.73 billion Indian rupees ($370.80 million) on Friday, according to provisional data from the National Stock Exchange (NSE). ($1 = 82.8740 Indian rupees)Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru; editing by Eileen SorengOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Manvi, Eileen Soreng Organizations: National Stock Exchange, REUTERS, NSE, Reserve Bank of India's, ITC, Vodafone, BSE, Associates, Deloitte, Natural Gas Corporation, Jindal Steel, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, BENGALURU, China, Beijing, Manvi Pant, Bengaluru

Branding is displayed for Vodafone at one of its stores in London, Britain, June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File PhotoDUBAI, Aug 2 (Reuters) - UAE's e& (EAND.AD) has submitted an offer to increase its stake in Vodafone (VOD.L) by 20%, e&'s CEO Hatem Dowidar told CNBC Arabia on Wednesday. The company formerly known as Etisalat, e& has been gradually building up its stake in the British telecoms company ever since it took a 9.8% stake for $4.4 billion in May 2022. The UAE operator's cooperation with Vodafone is awaiting regulatory approvals in countries where the British company operates, which "include an agreement to regulate relations between the two companies, and also the possibility of increasing our stake to 20%," Dowidar said. Reporting by Jana Choukeir, Writing by Clauda Tanios, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Toby Melville, Hatem Dowidar, Dowidar, Jana Choukeir, Clauda Tanios, Louise Heavens Organizations: Vodafone, REUTERS, CNBC Arabia, Etisalat, SEC, British, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, DUBAI, British, UAE

☆ Vodafone boosted by 1&1 5G network deal in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The headquarters of Vodafone Germany are pictured in Duesseldorf September 12, 2013. Shares in British company Vodafone rose 3% in London and 1&1 (1U1.DE) soared 15%, set for its biggest one-day gain since 2008. 1&1, the mobile phone operation of German internet provider United Internet (UTDI.DE), is building a fourth mobile network. The deal knocked shares in Telefonica Deutschland (O2Dn.DE), as 1&1 teamed up with its competitor Vodafone. Vodafone said in its statement on Wednesday that the commercial agreement with 1&1 was for 18 years, and would start to deliver the 5G coverage to 1&1 customers from the second half of 2024.

Persons: Ina Fassbender, Margherita Della Valle, Sarah Young, Danilo Masoni, Hakan Ersen Organizations: Vodafone, REUTERS, United, Telefonica Deutschland, Telefonica, Thomson Locations: Vodafone Germany, Germany, London, Telefonica Deutschland's, Madrid

☆ Portugal won't compensate telcos for replacing "high-risk" equipment
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Sergio Goncalves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Europe and the U.S. have concerns that Chinese involvement in critical infrastructure could compromise security. The Security Assessment Commission created within the scope of the CSSC has over the past nine months assessed the security aspects of all existing equipment in Portugal, regardless of "technology, merit or quality", and applied the criteria of the EU 5G security toolbox. "Because there is this balance between security and the operators' return on investment, Portugal does not consider compensating them for replacing equipment," he said. Asked if the deliberation was aimed at Chinese suppliers such as Huawei, he said: "Of course not". Portugal's main operators, Altice, NOS (NOS.LS) and Vodafone (VOD.L) have already said they would not use Huawei's equipment in 5G core networks.

Persons: Mario Campolargo, Campolargo, Sergio Goncalves, David Evans Organizations: Huawei, Reuters, Union, U.S, EU, NATO, OECD, Vodafone, Thomson Locations: LISBON, Portugal, digitalisation, Europe, Beijing, EU

☆ UK's Virgin Media O2 to lay off up to 2,000 employees by year end
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 24 (Reuters) - British mobile operator Virgin Media O2 said on Monday it was planning to lay off up to 2,000 employees by the end of this year. The company is a joint venture between the US-listed Liberty Global (LBTYA.O) and Spain's Telefonica (TEF.MC). Its rival BT Group (BT.L), Britain's biggest broadband and mobile provider, had cut 55,000 roles or more than 40% of its workforce in May. Earlier this month, the country's communications regulator Ofcom opened a probe, following complaints from users that the mobile operator was making it tough to cancel services. ($1 = 0.9041 euros)Reporting by Urvi Dugar and Mrinmay Dey in BengaluruOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Urvi Dugar, Mrinmay Dey Organizations: Virgin Media O2, Telegraph, Liberty Global, Spain's Telefonica, BT Group, Britain's, . Liberty Global, Vodafone, Ofcom, Thomson Locations: British, Bengaluru

☆ European markets lower; fresh data shows rising recessionary risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON — European markets were mixed on Monday as investors digest the inconclusive results of Spain's election and look ahead to a busy week of corporate earnings and central bank meetings. The pan-European Stoxx 600 moved lower in early afternoon deals, falling 0.1%, with all major bourses trading in negative territory. Fresh data pointed to a slowdown in business activity in France, Germany and the U.K. in July, adding to recessionary risks in Europe. Markets in Asia-Pacific were mixed Monday as investors digested key economic data from across the region. Japan's the Nikkei 225 gained 1.29% to start the week after new data showed business activity expanded for a seventh straight month.

Persons: Switzerland's Julius Baer Organizations: Sunday, European Central Bank, Nikkei, Bank of Japan, Federal Reserve, Meta, Microsoft, Vodafone, Ryanair, Italy's Locations: France, Germany, Europe, Asia, Pacific

☆ Vodafone takes 'first steps' in turnaround with top-line improvement
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 24 (Reuters) - Vodafone (VOD.L) reported better top-line growth on Monday, driven by higher prices in Britain and improvements in Germany, Italy and Spain, marking a positive start for new Chief Executive Margherita Della Valle's turnaround plan. She said on Monday that organic service revenue had improved "across almost all of our markets", as it reported a 3.7% first-quarter rise. The decline in service revenue in Germany more than halved quarter-on-quarter to 1.3%, as price rises partially offset the impact of customer losses over the last 18 months. Growth in service revenue in Britain, where Vodafone announced the merger of its operation with Hutchison's rival network Three last month, accelerated to 5.7%, boosted by strong growth in consumer and price increases. In Italy, improved demand from businesses helped reduce the service revenue decline to 1.6%, from 2.7% in the previous quarter, it said, while Spain saw a smaller improvement to a decline of 3.0% from 3.7%.

Persons: Margherita Della Valle's, Luka Mucic, Della Valle, We've, Ahmed Essam, Paul Sandle, Kate Holton, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Vodafone, SAP, Thomson Locations: Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain

☆ JPMorgan names 'cheap' global sectors set to outperform — here are some of its stock picks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

JPMorgan listed a number of global sectors it says have cheap valuations and "overweight" ratings — referring to the industries it expects to outperform over the next six to 12 months. In a July 3 research note to investors, it picked European telecoms as a "cheap" sector that it is overweight on. In its European "value" basket, telecoms companies included Vodafone and Nokia , while its European "growth" basket included Dutch firm KPN . Energy stocks in JPMorgan's European value basket included Repsol and Siemens Energy , and it included Finnish oil refiner Neste and Norway-based Equinor in its European growth basket. Staples in its European value basket included British grocer Tesco and Swiss chocolate company Lindt & Spruengli .

Persons: Mislav Matejka, Nephew, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: JPMorgan, Vodafone, Nokia, Energy, Siemens Energy, Staples, Tesco, Banks, WPP, Diageo, GSK, Smith, Prudential, Standard Chartered Locations: Norway, Swiss

☆ A $12 phone is opening doors for rural India to get on the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

All that could change with a new $12 phone from Reliance Jio this week. India is already the world's second-largest smartphone market and is likely to add 300 million new internet users, making it the fastest country to provide internet services to those who remain unconnected, Mishra said. "However, screen size can limit the experience a bit, but still good for first-time internet users." Reliance Jio has rolled out 5G services in 406 cities in India. Additionally, Singh highlighted that Reliance Jio hopes first-time internet users who purchase the Jio Bharat will eventually upgrade to more advanced phones down the road.

Persons: Mukherjee, Akash Ambani, Jio Bharat, Varun Mishra, Mishra, Navkendar Singh, Singh, Jio, Bharat, There's, Nikhil Batra, Batra, Research's Mishra Organizations: International Data Corporation, Afp, Getty, Reliance, Reliance Industries, Counterpoint Research, CNBC, Vodafone, Aditya Birla Group, Vodafone Group —, BSNL, IDC, Nurphoto, Macquarie Research, Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel, Macquarie, Jio, Airtel Locations: India, Jio, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bihar, Jammu, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh

☆ Billionaire Ambani's Reliance Jio renews rural India push with $12 4G phone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 3 (Reuters) - Reliance Jio said on Monday it would launch a 4G feature phone priced at 999 rupees ($12.19), the latest attempt by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's telecom arm to grab market share in India's massive and under-penetrated hinterlands. "There are still 250 million mobile phone users in India who remain 'trapped' in the 2G era, ... at a time when the world stands at the cusp of a 5G revolution," Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio, said in a statement. Currently, 4G feature phones account for less than 1% of the feature phone sales in India, per Counterpoint Research. "Feature phone to smartphone transition has slowed down due to high learning curve for a lot of rural Indian users and Jio Bharat aims to bridge that gap," said Tarun Pathak, analyst at Counterpoint Research. Feature phones are models that have higher functionalities than basic devices but falls short of the capabilities of a smartphone.

Persons: Jio, Mukesh, Akash Ambani, Bharat, Tarun Pathak, Pathak, Ashna Teresa Britto, Indranil Sarkar, Chris Thomas, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Reliance, Vodafone, Bharti Airtel, IIFL Securities, Counterpoint Research, Reliance Industries, Google, Thomson Locations: Jio, India

☆ Players face 'mental torture' at Wimbledon, says sports psychologist
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The All England Club's lawns will be the focus of the tennis world over the next fortnight as the world's leading players battle opponents and often their own psychological demons. UNIQUE CHALLENGES"There are a number of unique challenges elite tennis players have to face. Tennis players probably are only playing tennis for about 10 minutes of every hour they're on court," she said. Considering how much expectation he has shouldered at Wimbledon down the years, the 36-year-old has coped admirably, according to Mobed. "He is a fantastic example of someone that has worked so hard to uncover his mental strength," she said.

Persons: Toby Melville LONDON, Jana Novotna, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Czech Karolina Pliskova, Gaston Gaudio, Guillermo Coria, Gaudio, Katie Mobed, Novak Djokovic, Elena Rybakina, Andy Murray, Martyn Herman, Ken Ferris Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Wimbledon REUTERS, Tennis, Wimbledon, Czech, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, England, British

☆ Eli Lilly gorges on obesity options
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Eli Lilly (LLY.N) has filled its plate with potential obesity treatments, unveiling data from two more on Monday. With so many options under development at Lilly, Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) and others, it raises reasonable questions about capital allocation. Obesity drugs have investors salivating, but is this just more pharmaceutical R&D overkill? Pfizer’s cholesterol-lowering Lipitor, for one, reached consumers after rivals, and a decade after Merck’s version. Lilly’s research budget, projected at 24% of revenue this year, exceeds that of many peers, including Pfizer’s (PFE.N) 19%.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Robert Cyran, Aston Martin, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Novo Nordisk, Twitter, Vodafone, Thomson Locations: Lilly, China, Canada

☆ China-bashing throws Vodafone a curveball
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Vodafone's (VOD.L) M&A ambitions in Britain are falling prey to anti-China rhetoric. Parliamentarians are also fretting over the security impact on contracts with government departments once the deal goes through. Vodafone may face similar scrutiny, leading to inevitable delays. The fact that CK Hutchison has retained the right to appoint the chief financial officer may be a red flag. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: CK Hutchison's, Li Ka, Franco, Patrick Drahi, Hakan Koc, Pyrros Koussios, Roman Abramovich, CK Hutchison, Pamela Barbaglia, Aston Martin, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, HK, Vodafone, BT, UK's National Security and Investment Act, Twitter, Siemens, Thomson Locations: Britain, China, Hong Kong, Canada

☆ Telecom Italia grid talks leave Vivendi in a bind
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) is moving ahead with the long-awaited sale of its grid. The 5.5 billion euro Italian group has entered exclusive talks with private equity powerhouse KKR (KKR.N), and wants a binding offer by Sept. 30. Vivendi however is valuing the NetCo at 31 billion euros. A 26 billion euro price tag would imply an EV/EBITDA multiple of 14 times. That’s almost three times that of Vodafone (VOD.L) or Telefonica (TEF.MC), assuming the grid’s EBITDA at 1.8 billion euros, according to Barclays estimates.

Persons: Pietro Labriola, Il Messaggero, That’s, – Labriola, Pamela Barbaglia, Pierre Briancon, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Telecom, KKR, Vivendi, hardball, Telecom Italia’s, Vodafone, Telefonica, Barclays, Twitter, Intel, Thomson Locations: Rome, York, French

☆ Vodafone hires Morgan Stanley to weigh options for its Spanish unit - Expansion
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID, June 21 (Reuters) - Britain telecoms company Vodafone (VOD.L) has hired investment bank Morgan Stanley to evaluate the options for its Spanish unit, Spanish newspaper Expansion reported on Wednesday citing unidentified market sources. The company has started a strategic review on the future of its Spanish unit and its CEO Margherita Della Valle said last month the company's management is open to "structural change". A Vodafone spokesperson in Madrid declined to comment and Morgan Stanley did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment. Reporting by Inti Landauro, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Margherita Della Valle, Inti Landauro, Louise Heavens Organizations: Vodafone, Spanish, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Britain, Madrid

☆ Vodafone and Three merger faces scrutiny from competition regulators
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The $19 billion tie-up will be scrutinised by Britain's Competition and Markets Authority, the antitrust regulator which made global headlines in April when it blocked Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard. The long-awaited mobile deal reduces the number of networks from four to three, challenging a tenet long held by regulators that four help to keep prices low in major markets. "The government's desire to make the UK a 5G powerhouse requires a lot of investment," he said. One London-based investment banker, who declined to be named, said he put the chance of the deal receiving the green light from regulators at 50%. A major telecoms investor said the deal could be approved, but only with strong remedies, and that could risk undermining its rationale.

Persons: CK Hutchison, Activision Blizzard, Hutchison, Paolo Pescatore, Peter Broadhurst, Moring, James Gray, Sarah Cardell, Robert Finnegan, Gray, Paul Sandle, Amy, Jo Crowley, Sinead Cruise, Kate Holton, Emelia Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, Hutchison, O2, Vodafone, CK, HK, Britain's Competition, Markets Authority, Ofcom, European Commission, Foresight, Hutchison's, UK plc, Victoria, Crowell, CMA, Reuters, National Security and Investment, Britain's, Tesco Mobile, Telefonica, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, Britain, Europe, China, London, Germany

☆ Factbox: Vodafone, Hutchison UK merger to create country's largest mobile operator
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 14 (Reuters) - Vodafone (VOD.L) and CK Hutchison (0001.HK) unveiled the merger of their British operations, creating the country's largest mobile operator. Hutchison will own 49% and Vodafone 51% of the combined group, which will be led by current Vodafone UK boss Ahmed Essam. REVENUEUK represented 14% of group service revenue for Vodafone, and 16% of total revenue for Hutchison, according to latest annual results. RETAIL STORESThree has 311 retail stores in UK, according to its website, while Vodafone UK had 410 stores as of January. SPECTRUMVodafone has spectrum access between 3720-3760 MHz, while Three UK has access between 3460-3480 MHz, according to British telecoms regulator Ofcom.

Persons: CK Hutchison, Hutchison, Ahmed Essam, Eva Mathews Organizations: Vodafone, CK, HK, Hutchison, Ofcom, BT Group, O2, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Toyota, AMD, Shell, UnitedHealth and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Toyota cars are displayed on the sales lot at Toyota Marin in San Rafael, California, May 11, 2022. Check out the companies making the biggest moves in premarket trading. Vodafone — The cellphone network added nearly 3% in premarket trading after Vodafone and CK Hutchison agreed to merge their U.K. businesses. Shell — The European oil stock was up 2.3% after Shell boosted its dividend and share buybacks and said it would keep oil production steady until 2030. SoFi Technologies — Shares added 3.25% premarket.

Persons: Akio Toyoda, Bracken Darrell, CK Hutchison, UnitedHealth, John Rex, BTIG, — CNBC's Hakyung Kim, Jesse Pound Organizations: Toyota, Toyota Marin, Logitech, Citi, Vodafone, CK, Devices, Amazon, Services, Reuters, Humana, Lumen Technologies, Google, Microsoft, Shell, SoFi Locations: San Rafael , California, Japan

Under the terms, Vodafone will own 51% and Hutchison 49% of the combined group, which will be led by current Vodafone UK boss Ahmed Essam. The finance chief of Hutchison's Three UK, Darren Purkis, will take the same role in the new group. The combined operator will have about 27 million customers, overtaking BT's (BT.L) EE and VM O2, jointly owned by Telefonica (TEF.MC) and Liberty Global (LBTYA.O). Vodafone, which is currently Britain's third-biggest mobile operator, and fourth-placed Hutchison will have options which would allow Vodafone to acquire the Hong Kong-based conglomerate's 49% stake in the future. Shares in Vodafone, which fell to a 25-year low of 71 pence on Tuesday, rose 3.6% after the deal was announced.

Persons: CK Hutchison, Canning Fok, Ahmed Essam, Darren Purkis, Hutchison, Vodafone's Essam, Robert Finnegan, Gail Cartmail, Paul Sandle, Clare Jim, Kate Holton, Sharon Singleton, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Vodafone, CK, HK, Hutchison, Hutchison's, BT's, VM O2, Telefonica, Liberty Global, Britain's Competition, Markets Authority, CMA, Unite, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Britain, Hong Kong, China, London

Vodafone and CK Hutchison, which owns the Three UK mobile network, agreed to merge their U.K. businesses, following talks that have been ongoing since last year, the companies said Wednesday. Vodafone will own 51% of the combined business, leaving CK Hutchison the minority stake. "This long-awaited mega merger represents the biggest shake-up in the UK mobile market for over a decade," Kester Mann, director for consumer and connectivity at CCS Insight said in emailed comments. Current Vodafone UK CEO Ahmed Essam will lead the new enterprise, while the present Three UK Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Darren Purkis will assume the CFO position at the merged business. BT acquired EE in 2016, while Telefonica and Liberty Global launched Virgin Media O2 in 2021.

Persons: CK Hutchison, Kester Mann, Ahmed Essam, Darren Purkis, Nick Read, Margherita Della Valle Organizations: Vodafone, CK, CK Hutchison, Insight, BT, Virgin Media O2, EE, O2, Telefonica, Liberty Global, Markets Authority, CMA, Activision Blizzard

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