Verizon: We’re NOT for sale

Verizon Communications Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg says the U.S.'s number two telecom will be the hunter and not the prey-especially where it concerns its Verizon Wireless partner Vodafone--as telcos continue to consolidate.

"We're not for sale," he told the Financial Times. "And in case you didn't get that the first time, we're not for sale. OK? In the long term, my view is that we're the hunter. That's the way I see it, and I'm trying to develop a new generation of hunters."

The 61-year-old top dog, who has led Verizon since its birth, says he has no plans to retire. "I'm not even thinking about the next step," he said.

Verizon is the fifth largest telecom in the world, and is poised, with its $28.1 billion acquisition of Alltel, to become the top player in the United States' mobile market with more than 80 million customers.

For more:
- See the Financial Times story [1]

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Verizon defends U.S. broadband Verizon report [3]