Vodafone CEO Won’t Rule Out Disposal of Verizon Wireless

Vodafone Group Plc Chief Executive Officer Vittorio Colao says while he’s satisfied with the company’s U.S. venture with Verizon Communications Inc., he wouldn’t rule out exiting the business in future.

“I see myself as the guardian of money from shareholders,” Colao said yesterday in Barcelona at a conference organized by Morgan Stanley. Vodafone, which owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless, doesn’t count on dividends from the asset to fund payouts to its own shareholders, he said, calling dividends from the largest U.S. mobile carrier source of “an extra layer of comfort.”