Vodafone Agrees to Sell its Stake in Verizon Wireless for $130 Billion

Vodafone and Verizon Communications seem to have agreed on a $130 billion price for the sale of Vodafone's 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless to Verizon Communications. The deal still has to be approved the boards of both companies, but there would seem to be little danger of a complication on that front. 

Verizon would pay for the stake in roughly equal portions of cash and stock, so Vodafone would become a minority investor in Verizon Communications, though holding publicly tradeable stock that could be sold gradually to liquify the rest of the sale proceeds. 

The deal would not change U.S. mobile market share at all, and should not trigger unusual regulator scrutiny. 

The drama might follow, though. Will Vodafone itself go on a buying spree? Will another major global carrier make a bid to buy Vodafone? And what will other European service providers conclude they must do?

At the very least, executives have to make fundamental decisions about whether they are going to be buyers or sellers.