Vodafone negotiating bigger Polkomtel stake

Vodafone Group is in talks to buy a further stake in Polish mobile operator Polkomtel from shareholder TDC, a Dow Jones report said.

The Dow Jones report quoted a spokesman for Vodafone, which holds a 19.61% stake in Poland's second-largest mobile provider, confirming it is in talks with the Danish telecoms group, which holds a similar-sized stake, but stressed this may or may not lead to a transaction.

The sale of TDC's stake has been tied up in a Vienna arbitration court since 2006 when Vodafone filed a lawsuit to block the stake's sale to Polkomtel's other shareholders, the Polish state-owned companies KGHM (19.6%), PSE (17.6%), Weglokoks (4%) and PKN Orlen (19.6%).