Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg said the company isn't interested in purchasing regional operator Alltel or Qwest. Many have speculated the company might make a bid for these companies in light of the AT&T/BellSouth combination. Alltel, he said, would only make Verizon bigger, not necessarily faster-growing. Instead, the top priority is buying more of its wireless joint venture, Verizon Wireless, from partner Vodafone. To make the deal, he said in an interview last week that Verizon was willing to buy Vodafone's shares in several chunks rather than in one piece, and even to revise the dividend it pays Vodafone during that process. It's a smart strategy. Seidenberg's emphasis on growth over size is one way he hopes to differentiate Verizon from AT&T among investors.
To read more about Verizon's wireless strategy:
- check out this article in The New York Times