I've got a vodafone mobile had it for years and am perfectly happy with the phone, service and even customer support the one time I did have a problem. but there are a crazy bunch that run that company. having realised you need more than one business stream to survive they now seem to buy everybody going. i'm waiting for them to buy a cable tv company virgin media would be favorite cause they are driving me nuts with the stupid adverts. maybe i'll start an online sweet company and see if they will buy that?.

mines the one with the vodafone mobile and the smug knowledge i can get a singal pretty munch anywhere in the world. (awaiting the people pointing out valleys streets etc where you can't)

Verizon, Tiscali and SFR are the big buys I can see them doing.. If they bought Verizon especially that would really be something interesting!

They already own 45% of Verizon.

I reckon VF are in a good position to monetise a shared address book technology, if they could work out how to roll it out to their phone customers.

Vodafone own 45% of Verizon Wireless. Verizon Communications Inc, an NYSE-listed company with a market cap of $110bn, own the rest.

Cant see Verizon being brought into the Vodafone Group anytime soon. Vodafone have made some very clear noises in the direction of Verizon that they would like to bring it all under the Vodafone Umbrella, but as far as I am aware, the holders of the other 55% seem to be quite happy not being part of Vodafone and would instead like to releive Vodafone of its 45% stake in Verizon.

SFR would be a better bet for Vodafone, as it allready runs on the GSM standard, and is part of the core European market. Vodafone also has a minority stake in SFR.

Tiscali (apart from possible regulatory problems in Italy) would only be of use for its Broadband csutomer base, which is where the market seems to be hotting up at the moment. CPW have allready said they are not prepared to put in the big bucks, and seem to have dropped off Tiscali's preferred bidder list.

As for buying Virgin Media, Bransons group do not seem to have much of an impact on the customer services at the old Diamond Cable/NTL/NTL Telewest Group, and Vodafone buying them (if they were to do so) would be a step in the right direction, and possibly bring things back into line (I miss sky 1 for a start), and stop the stupid adverts mentioned by the Esteemed Anonymous Coward

"Vodafone own 45% of Verizon Wireless."

Isn't that what Rich said???