Verizon Communications may love to take full ownership of Verizon Wireless by buying out partner Vodafone's stake, but would Verizon investors love it? While Vodafone shareholders are pressuring the global operator to sell its stake in Verizon Wireless to Verizon Communications, Verizon Communications investors might not be too keen on it. How would Verizon Communications come up with the $44.64 billion purchase price needed to pay Vodafone? Of course, that is a theoretical price. There are no actual figures floating around because Vodafone says it wants to hold on to its stake in Verizon Wireless.
While the company could sell its directories business or its stake in Italian operator Vodafone Omnitel, Verizon Communications is certainly aware of the need to use money to pay off its massive debt, which is at $39 billion, or return money to shareholders. Plus, we don't know the impact of Verizon's $8.7 billion purchase of MCI on the company's results because it closed in the first quarter.
For more about Verizon's interest in buying Verizon Wireless:
- read this article from Computer Business Review