O2 shares soar after €26bn sale offer
But analysts said the deal, which was agreed with the O2 board, was likely to spark a bidding war that could see other industry heavyweights join the stage.
O2 Ireland chief executive Danuta Gray said yesterday that the Telefonica deal was good news for the group, its customers and employees and would make O2 the fifth-largest mobile operator in Europe with 20 million customers in Ireland, Britain and Germany part of the world's second-biggest mobile outfit.
