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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| O2 and Virgin Media in talks to merge | O2 and Virgin Media in talks to merge |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Mobile operator O2 may be set to merge with broadband giant Virgin Media to create one of the country's largest entertainment and telecoms firms. | Mobile operator O2 may be set to merge with broadband giant Virgin Media to create one of the country's largest entertainment and telecoms firms. |
| A tie-up between two major players in Britain's telecoms and media sector would create a major rival to BT. | A tie-up between two major players in Britain's telecoms and media sector would create a major rival to BT. |
| Spanish firm Telefonica, which owns O2, confirmed that it was in talks with Virgin-owner Liberty Global. | Spanish firm Telefonica, which owns O2, confirmed that it was in talks with Virgin-owner Liberty Global. |
| The company stressed that the negotiations were ongoing and there was no guarantee they would reach a deal. | The company stressed that the negotiations were ongoing and there was no guarantee they would reach a deal. |
| O2, which provides the network for Tesco Mobile, Giffgaff and Sky Mobile, is the UK's largest phone company with around 34 million users. | |
| Virgin has about six million broadband and cable TV customers and another three million mobile users. | |
| A tie-up between the two would increase pressure on BT, which owns the UK's second-largest mobile network EE. | |
| BT has 28 million mobile, TV and broadband customers across the country. It also provides services to a million businesses. | |
| Telefonica tried to sell O2 to the owner of Three, CK Hutchison, for £10.3bn in 2015. But that deal was blocked by the European Commission over concerns that it would have left just three major mobile phone operators in the UK. |