Report: AT&T looking to buy Vodafone for as much as $82 billion

Vodafone and Verizon stockholders will be voting next Tuesday, on whether or not to approve the $130 billion USD deal between the two companies. Verizon Communications is buying the 45% stake in Verizon Wireless owned by the European telecom giant. Yes, it will go down as the biggest M&A deal of 2013 and will result in Vodafone shareholders receiving a special £54.3 billion ($84 billion USD) payout consisting of $24 billion in cash and the remainder in Verizon stock.

But there is some speculation again, that AT&T is about to plunk down as much as  £60 billion  ($82 billion USD) to buy what is left of Vodafone following the sale of its stake in Verizon Wireless. This was a deal that was tipped to take place this year, all the way back in November. AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson met with EU telecom commissioner Neelie Kroes during the World Economic Summit in Davos and expressed AT&T's desire to be a major European player.

While AT&T has yet to approach Vodafone about a deal, sources from London's financial district say that the American carrier has been advised to hold off until Vodafone has completed its deal with Verizon. That is expected to happen on February 21st. Meanwhile, Stephenson and Vittorio Colao, Vodafone's Italian CEO, are scheduled to talk during MWC in Barcelona next month.

Sources say that AT&T has been working on the regulatory, financial and legal issues surrounding a bid and the company's investment bankers are waiting for the green light from AT&T's board. After the deal with Verizon closes, analysts expect a deal for Vodafone to come in between £50 billion and £70billion ($68 billion USD and $96 billion USD, respectively). Even after closing the deal with Verizon, Vodafone will be one of the top ten largest public companies in the U.K.

source: SkyNews via AndroidCentral