20 June 2005
Cable & Wireless (C&W) could be purchased by France Telecom, placing it in stronger position to take on BT in the home phone market.
The Sunday Telegraph has suggested that France Telecom is planning a £4 billion bid for C&W.
It would combine Bulldog Broadband and Wanadoo, which would also give it greater power in the broadband market.
France Telecom has refuted the reports, calling them "pure fantasy", but speculation is nevertheless rife, since C&W's rise in shares since May.
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