Vodafone’s decision to go double Dutch by combining its mobile network in the Netherlands with Liberty Global’s cable network Ziggo has prompted fevered speculation that it could be a forerunner for a full merger.
Vodafone and Liberty Global have agreed to marry their assets in the country to create a stronger competitor to the local pace-setter KPN. The combined business will be the second-largest mobile phone player and the biggest television company in the Netherlands and will compete on an equal footing with KPN in the broadband market.
Vodafone and Liberty, which owns Virgin Media in Britain, have long been linked with a wider tie-up. They held extensive talks last year over an “asset swap”, with markets including the Netherlands, the UK and Germany under