Verizon Communications is seeking a deal for full control of Verizon Wireless.
Despite not owning a piece of the carrier with their own namesake, it is Vodafone Group Plc. that holds the other part of the share.
Citing a source familiar with the matter, Verizon Communications is allegedly planning a rough 50/50 cash and stock bid for the 45 percent Vodafone currently possesses.
"[Verizon Communications] has not put a proposal to Vodafone yet but has hired banking and legal advisers for a possible offer," stated Reuters, based on its sources.
While Verizon is reportedly read to "push aggressively" to even start discussions, including the possibility of making the bid public, there are no guarantee Vodafone is interested.
"It would depend on how the deal is structured and what the cost of financing is. But we think the deal at $100 billion would be viable for Verizon to do," said Reaves Asset Management Portfolio Manager Louis Cimino in New Jersey, via Reuters, which owns about 1.8 million Verizon shares.
A Verizon Communications and Vodafone spokesman declined to comment, and Verizon Wireless was not available at the time of reporting.
The report of a potential buyout comes as two other major U.S. carriers are dealing with mergers of their own. T-Mobile USA is currently in the process of merging with MetroPCS while Dish Network Corp., the second largest U.S. satellite provider, made a bid to buy Sprint Nextel for $25.5 billion in cash and stock.
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