…But Major Challenges Stand In Way
By Stuart Thomson
Liberty Global sees “some compelling logic” in a combination of Belgian operator Telenet and its Dutch JV VodafoneZiggo, according to CEO Mike Fries, although such a combination is probably too complex to happen any time soon.
Speaking online for a Bank of America Securies Telecom & Media Conference, Fries said there was “some compelling logic to a Benelux rollup” joining VodafoneZiggo with Telenet. However, “there are a lot of moving parts” and it is “difficult to speculate” on that currently.
Fries said that he had recently had a conversation with EC EVOP and digital commissioner Margarethe Vestager had said “she would love to see more cross-border mergers” in the EU which was “an interesting observation” although she hadn’t specified whether this could apply to the telecom sector.
On Liberty Global’s JV with Vodafone in the Netherlands specifically, Fries said that VodafoneZiggo was now performing well and was now the largest retail player in the market. “It’s a great business and we
