Deals
Hutchison Talks Over Italy Mobile Merger Said to Accelerate
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Billionaire Li Ka-shing’s Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. has intensified negotiations with VimpelCom Ltd. to combine their wireless assets in Italy, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The companies have made progress in resolving disagreements over ownership structure, with talks focusing on Hutchison’s 3 Italia unit -- the smaller of the mobile-phone carriers -- buying VimpelCom’s Wind Telecomunicazioni SpA, said one of the people, asking not to be identified because the deliberations are private. No agreement has been reached and a deal could still fall apart.