Telefonica Open To Discuss Potential Fibre Deal With Vodafone In Spain

Spanish telecom firm Telefonica is open to discussing potential partnership on fibre networks in Spain with rival Vodafone, a company top official said on Thursday.

The Spanish firm is “open and prepared”, its Chief Operating Officer Angel Vila said on Thursday, according to a company spokesperson, who confirmed an earlier report by Bloomberg.

Vodafone’s recently appointed Chief Executive Margherita Della Valle is under pressure to shake up the group, which spans over Europe and Africa and whose shares have underperformed.

The company has reportedly sought to unwind assets in Spain, though, given its size in the country, a sale to rivals would face steep anti-trust hurdles.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro, editing by Pietro Lombardi and Alistair Bell)