LONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Shares in Vodafone Group opened up 2.2 percent after Bloomberg reported AT&T wasexploring strategies for a potential takeover of the Britishmobile operator.
AT&T has not hidden its European ambitions, with its chiefexecutive Randall Stephenson saying last month that there was a"huge opportunity" in Europe to invest in mobile broadband.
The U.S. company has been eyeing Europe since the beginningof the year, and has considered options including pan-Europeanplayer Vodafone and Britain's largest mobile carrier EE, a jointventure of Orange and Deutsche Telekom,sector bankers have previously told Reuters.
The Bloomberg report, citing people familiar with thesituation, says the companies have not entered formalnegotiations but AT&T is examining how it could divide Vodafoneup after a deal, keeping some assets and disposing of others. (Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Anthony Barker)
Vodafone (VOD)
