The tangled web of mobile telecommunication mergers: Hutchison Whampoa, Telefónica and BT
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to demonstrate how consolidation within Europe’s mobile telecommunication markets requires willing buyers and sellers.
Design/methodology/approach
After highlighting the resurgence in merger and acquisition (M & A) activity in mobile telecommunications, the paper draws on a variety of secondary sources to analyse the strategies of three companies.
Findings
The paper highlights the interwoven nature of the strategies of three companies: BT, Hutchison Whampoa and Telefónica. BT has returned to the mobile telecommunications market in the UK, with the company it did not acquire being purchased by Hutchison. As Hutchison implements a “double or quits” strategy in Europe, it has acquired operations from Telefónica, which, in turn, has exited most of its non-Spanish European operations to focus on Latin America.
Research limitations/implications
The paper relies on secondary data and thus highlights the challenges of doing so and the need for more information regarding M & As to be in the public domain.
Practical implications
There is a need to adopt a sector-wide or regional approach for analysing the strategies of telecommunication companies.
Originality/value
The paper uniquely provides an overview of three corporate strategies to show how they interact with one another.
Keywords
Citation
Curwen, P. and Whalley, J. (2016), "The tangled web of mobile telecommunication mergers: Hutchison Whampoa, Telefónica and BT", info, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 17-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/info-08-2015-0041
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited