Mobile phone giant Vodafone said today it had agreed to sell its 25% stake in Switzerland’s leading operator Swisscom Mobile for £1.8bn (€2.7bn).

Vodafone has announced it is to sell its 25% interest in the Swisscom Mobile firm to Swisscom for £1.8bn (€2.7bn).

THE takeover of Eircom by Babcock & Brown is the latest in a series of ownership changes.

Eircom has opened its books to bidders Babcock and Brown and the Employee Share Ownership Trust (ESOT), the telecoms company announced today.

EIRCOM has confirmed that it is in takeover talks with Australian investment bank Babcock & Brown.

IF BABCOCK & BROWN succeeds with its takeover bid for Eircom, it will be the fourth time in less than seven years the telecom giant has changed hands.

EIRCOM shares surged by as much as 6% yesterday on speculation that it may be the subject of a takeover bid.

SWISSCOM’S ability to make foreign acquisitions without restrictions must be protected, its chief executive, Jens Alder, said in an interview published yesterday.

SWISSCOM caved into the Swiss government yesterday when it granted its controlling shareholder free rein to decide its future strategy, further dampening hopes that it would resurrect its bid for Eircom.

THE Irish stock market hit a fresh high again yesterday, bursting through the 7,000 point barrier for the first time.

THE ISEQ index continued its decline yesterday dipping 24.75 and closing at 6869.26.

SWISSCOM’S takeover of Eircom collapsed spectacularly yesterday when the Swiss government pulled the plug by saying it would use its shareholding to block the deal.

THE ISEQ index dropped slightly weighed down by Eircom, whose shares plummeted.

The ISEQ index closed up 5.1 points at 6888.95 today as good performances from the financials were offset by a slump at Eircom.

THE eircom takeover plot thickened yesterday when potential buyer Swisscom was linked with a joint bid for a Danish company and the Swiss government announced plans to cut its stakeholding in Swisscom from 66% to 50%.

FRESH doubts were raised over the proposed takeover of Eircom yesterday when it was reported that potential buyer Swisscom had turned its attention to Denmark’s top fixed-line operator.

EIRCOM suffered a double dose of bad news yesterday as it lost out in the race for the country’s final third generation (3G) mobile phone licence and potential buyer Swisscom fuelled doubts over its proposed takeover.

HALF-YEAR profits at Eircom rose by over 300% to €115 million, the telecoms company revealed yesterday.

IN the course of my work as a Japanese translator, I stumbled across an interesting market research survey of the readers of a certain Japanese magazine.

EIRCOM shares continued their fall from grace yesterday, falling for the third day in a row as Swisscom finally owned up to being behind last week’s takeover approach.

Another positive day for the ISEQ index yesterday despite the financials closing weaker. The Dublin market closed up 18.08 points at 6727.87.

Shares in Juys Doyle were up 10 cent to €18.90 this afternoon following the news that property developer Sean Dunne had sold his 28% shareholding for a profit of €20m.

Swiss telecoms firm Swisscom has confirmed that it is in talks with eircom on a possible takeover deal.

SWISSCOM has been granted exclusive takeover talks with Eircom in return for an indicative offer that values the phone company at €2.6 billion, it emerged last night.

EIRCOM shareholders were €330 million better off last night after the phone company’s shares shot up 15% on the back of a takeover approach from Switzerland’s market leader.

Shares prices in telecoms group eircom rose sharply today as the company revealed it had received a preliminary approach, which could lead to a takeover.

Australian investment fund Babcock & Brown Capital and its manager have acquired a combined 12.5% stake in eircom, the fund announced today.

Eircom shares soared nearly 7% to €2.1 today after a report said Swisscom, Switzerland's largest telephone company, had contacted the company about the possibility of making a €3bn bid.

Eircom shares soared nearly 8% to €2.19 by 11am on this morings ISEQ after a report in the Irish Independent which said Swisscom, Switzerland's largest telephone company, had contacted the company about the possibility of making a €3 billion bid.

Shares in Eircom jumped by nearly 10% on the Dublin stock exchange this morning after a report in the Irish Independent which said Swisscom, Switzerland's largest telephone company, had contacted the company about the possibility of making a €3 billion bid.

Swiss telecommunications group Swisscom has reported a 90.4% rise in net income and will return SFr2.9bn (€1.87bn) to shareholders.

Swisscom AG chairman Jens Adler said his company has no interest in acquiring MobilCom AG because the German's company's debts are too high and because he is unconvinced by its business model.