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back to article Hong Kong mogul mulls multi-billion pound bid for O2 – report

British mobile operator O2 has reportedly been eyed up by Hong Kong biz baron Li Ka-shing, with a takeover bid of up to £9bn apparently being floated. The owner of Hutchison Whampoa, which controls UK mobe carrier Three, has been in tentative talks with Telfonica-run O2, according to a report in today's Sunday Times (£), which …

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  1. Bloodbeastterror

    Anybody...

    ...rather than bloody BT...

    0 0 Reply
    1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Anybody...

      Ok,

      What about

      VM?

      Talk-Talk?

      Sky?

      AT&T?

      Verizon?

      etc

      etc

      Better the devil you know then

      But as we know, BT has its eyes set on EE

      BEET that then?

      0 0 Reply
      1. The Godfather
        Reply Icon
        Coat

        Re: Anybody...

        Errr, give them time and they'll buy all of them.

        0 0 Reply
  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ka-shing in

    Kerr-ching!

    0 0 Reply
  3. Lost in Cyberspace

    Customer service

    I always have a pleasant Customer Service experience with O2. OTOH, I have never, even once, had a remotely positive experience with Three CS. I don't trust them with anything more than my PAYG data sim now.

    I know which way things would go if this goes ahead.

    2 0 Reply
  4. Chris Miller

    At least the name of the new company should be obvious: Ozone.

    IIRC Hutchison originally developed the Orange mobile phone brand before selling it to Mannesmann.

    4 0 Reply
    1. Ivan Headache
      Reply Icon

      Didn't they also do the Rabbit thing?

      (No not that one)

      0 0 Reply
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Didn't they also do the Rabbit thing?

        Yes, at the time there was quite a buzz about it.

        1 0 Reply
  5. Peter27x

    It's Complicated

    Hutchison created Rabbit, which evolved into Orange. Orange got sold off to Mannesmann, who in turn got bought by Vodaphone. At the time Vodaphone/Mannesmann where reportedly the biggest company in the world. However, Vodaphone had to sell off Orange due to EU competition law. France Telecom bought Orange...

    Vodaphone used to be Racal Vodaphone, Racal Telecom, was sold to Global Crossing, which was going to be bought by... no you haven't guessed it... Hutchison Whampoa. (In the end Singapore Telecom bought GX, as the US gov blocked the sale to Hutchison Whampoa). The guy in charge of GX at the time was John Legere (http://search.theregister.co.uk/?q=John+Legere&site=&psite=0), who is now in charge of T-Mobile US.

    I'm sure there are many more related connections, it is a small industry.

    0 0 Reply
    1. Michael Jennings
      Reply Icon

      Re: It's Complicated

      Well, no. It's one of the biggest industries in the world. All industries tend to end up being by a small clubs of people, however.

      0 0 Reply
      1. Chris Miller
        Reply Icon

        Re: It's Complicated

        Trying to remember the events of 20 years ago, I think at launch that Orange had a promotional offer of free calls between Orange phones 'out of business hours' (may well have been 8pm-8am). As a result, private hire firms bought them en masse for their drivers who overwhelmed the network making free calls.

        0 0 Reply
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Ummm No!

      Hutchinson sold Orange to France Telecom. To this day it remains Britain's biggest French mobile network.

      Edit: And Rabbit didn't become Orange. The technologies are about as compatible as two completely incompatible things.

      0 0 Reply

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

      2. Soruk
        Reply Icon

        Re: Ummm No!

        Hutchison sold to Mannesmann, and almost straight away Vodafone made a hostile takeover bid for Mannesmann, and thus were made to sell Orange quickly, and that's how France Telecom got it.

        0 0 Reply

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