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AT&T is once again said to be vying for the world’s second-largest mobile carrier, Vodafone.
AT&T’s executives are currently “laying the groundwork” for a takeover of the carrier, which could expand both companies’ reach to more than 500 million wireless subscribers, according to Bloomberg.
Verizon and AT&T were originally said to be involved inplans to snap up Vodafoneback in April, though Verizon denied the report. Separately, last month Verizon agreed to spend $130 billion to buy out Vodafone’s stake of its own wireless business (which had been a joint venture), a deal that was the third-largest corporate acquisition ever.
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The rumored takeover would have to wait until that buyout was complete, Bloomberg said.
An AT&T spokesperson declined to comment on the report.
AT&T’s last big spend was on Leap Wireless in July, a deal valued at around $1.2 billion that has yet to close. The company also made an attempt to purchase T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom as part of a $39 billion bid, which was later blocked by the Justice Department over antitrust concerns.
AT&T’s stock price is up 15 cents, selling at $36.41 a share, while Vodafone’s listing on the Nasdaq climbed 79 cents, or 2.18 percent, to $37.11 in late-day trading.
