Vodafone is reportedly in talks with to acquire the cable television provider UPC through a deal with its owner, Liberty Global. Negotiations on the deal, which is reported to be in the neighborhood of €16.5bn according to the Financial Times, could be completed within two weeks. The Czech daily Hospodářské noviny writes that the deal could increase the level of competition among fixed- line Internet providers, which is currently dominated by O2 and T-Mobile. UPC provides cable television and Internet to its clients, but only offers the service in the Czech Republic’s larger cities. Czech consumers pay among the highest rates in the EU for Internet access. UPC is also active in Germany, Romania and Hungary.
