Vodafone aims to manage 24% of the global telecommunications market and, to achieve its goal, it will implement a grandiose investment plan: around 31 billion dollars over three years. This was announced by the CEO of the British giant, Vittorio Colao, in an interview with CNBC.
“If opportunities for expansion arise, to become a sort of Unilever of telecommunications, in which mobile, entertainment and business services can be combined – Colao said -, we would certainly try to exploit them”.
As for the rumors of an offer by Vodafone to take over Ono, the largest cable operator in Spain, the manager avoids saying too much: "I won't confirm anything in detail, but I don't deny that we could be as interested in emerging markets as in mature, where opportunities could arise to consolidate our position”.
Vodafone is currently the second mobile operator in the world and by the end of February it should complete the maxi-transfer to the American operator Verizon of its 45% stake in the joint venture that the two companies had created in the United States. The value of the operation is 130 billion dollars.
As for activities in emerging countries, Colao said he was optimistic, despite concerns related to the recent pressure on the currencies of these markets. In particular, the CEO points out to those who criticized him for choosing not to spin off the assets in India that the Indian mobile phone market has become the second largest for Vodafone.
“We have to operate in a long-term perspective – said Colao -. There is not enough fixed infrastructure in India, so business has to go after business. We will take every aspect into consideration, but I am convinced that at the moment we are positioned in the right emerging markets”.
