BT Share News (BT.A)

Telecoms were the best performers of the day on Thursday as a surge in the price of sector giant Vodafone provided a boost.Vodafone, one of the largest listed companies in London, saw shares rise 8.5% to 205.3p before the close of trade after confirming that it is back in talks with partner Verizon Communications regarding the sale of its 45% stake in their joint venture, Verizon Wireless, which has over 100m customers in the States. The news sent Vodafone's stock to 12-year highs today.It is speculated that Vodafone could receive as much as $130bn from the sale of the 45% interest through a mixture of cash and stock, making it the third-largest deal in history. Verizon has looked to buy-out Vodafone's share of the US phone carrier for many years but both parties have been unable to agree on a price. Verizon reportedly offered around $100bn earlier in the year but this was rebuffed. Market chatter suggests that a new deal could be completed within a week given that Verizon wants to urgently take advantage of current interest rates before they move even higher.Others in the telecoms sector were making gains in London today, including BT, TalkTalk, KCOM and Avanti Communications.Top performing sectors so far todayMobile Telecommunications 4,779.63 +8.05%Industrial Metals & Mining 1,534.61 +4.13%Automobiles & Parts 7,853.56 +3.64%Fixed Line Telecommunications 3,775.23 +2.03%Construction & Materials 3,830.87 +2.01%Bottom performing sectors so far todayOil & Gas Producers 7,908.31 -0.94%Mining 16,407.26 -0.84%Real Estate Investment Trusts 2,323.96 -0.40%Food Producers & Processors 6,842.27 -0.32%Industrial Transportation 3,109.42 -0.23%BC