DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 18 (Reuters) - International cableTV group Liberty Global's joint venture with Vodafone in the Netherlands has started well but is not ablueprint for deals in other European markets where both arepresent, its CEO said on Wednesday.
Liberty and Vodafone agreed to join forces in theNetherlands in February, soon after talks on a European assetswap deal were abandoned.
Analysts, however, have said that a wider tie-up still makessense as the fixed and mobile markets converge to supplycustomers with a bundle of pay TV, broadband and fixed andmobile telecoms services.
"I don't see us doing those types of structural transactionsin other markets," Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries said at theWorld Economic Forum in Davos, though he did not rule out doinganything else with the mobile operator.
Fries said there was a match between the size of the assetsand the companies' market positions in the Netherlands thatwasn't present in other markets, and there were few otherstrategic options in the country.
"It's only been three weeks, but I will tell you we'reencouraged," Fries said of the Dutch joint venture.
"We will immediately start looking at products and servicesthat are quad play in nature and we have a management team thatis the best of both."
Quad play products combine pay TV, broadband and fixed andmobile telecoms.
(Reporting by Martinne Geller; Writing by Paul Sandle; Editingby David Goodman)
Vodafone (VOD)
