Vodafone rekindles interest in Kabel Deutschland

Vodafone Group is taking another look at a potential bid for Germany’s largest cable operator, Kabel Deutschland, in a move that would bolster its position in the fixed line market, The Wall Street Journal cites people familiar with the matter as saying. According to one of the sources, the UK-based group had put preliminary plans to acquire Kabel Deutschland on hold after they leaked earlier this year, but Vodafone has recently held talks with the cableco about a potential takeover deal. Another person familiar with the situation said the group has not yet decided whether to make an offer, or when it might make a decision. The report follows an announcement by Vodafone last month that it had agreed a VDSL network access deal with Deutsche Telekom-owned Telekom Deutschland. The agreement is expected to enhance Vodafone’s ability to offer its German customers a range of competitive, high speed broadband and TV services, while some analysts have claimed the deal made an acquisition of Kabel Deutschland unnecessary.