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| Vodafone ends Liberty Global talks | Vodafone ends Liberty Global talks |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Vodafone says it has ended talks with Virgin Media owner Liberty Global over a potential asset swap. | Vodafone says it has ended talks with Virgin Media owner Liberty Global over a potential asset swap. |
| In June, the mobile phone network had said it was talking to Liberty Global over "a possible exchange of selected assets between the two companies". | In June, the mobile phone network had said it was talking to Liberty Global over "a possible exchange of selected assets between the two companies". |
| The two firms never disclosed which assets they were thinking of swapping. | The two firms never disclosed which assets they were thinking of swapping. |
| The deal was seen as a key part of Vodafone's strategy and shares in the telecoms firm are down almost 4% in early trading in London. | The deal was seen as a key part of Vodafone's strategy and shares in the telecoms firm are down almost 4% in early trading in London. |
| Two weeks ago Liberty Global chairman John Malone had warned the two sides were struggling to find common ground. | |
| 'Mission impossible' | |
| Claire Enders, founder of research firm Enders Analysis, said: "Why were people disappointed when mission impossible foundered? I don't know." | |
| She said one possible sticking point was on Liberty Global's high valuation of its prized asset, Virgin Media. | |
| Regulatory issues in Germany, where Vodafone and Liberty Global own the two biggest cable operators, and the Netherlands also clouded the talks. | |
| The telecoms industry has been going through a period of deal making as phone companies attempt to offer their customers packages of television, broadband, mobile and traditional phone services. | |
| Investors have been keen to see Vodafone's next move after it sold a 45% stake in US-based Verizon Wireless for $130bn (£84bn) in 2013 - one of the biggest corporate deals in history. | |
| Last year it acquired Germany's Kabel Deutschland for €7.7bn (£5.7bn), and was also linked to a deal for BSkyB. |