But will Vodafone investors see any of the cash?
US-based Verizon Wireless today gave a trading update, confirming a slowdown in growth with 888,000 contract customers added in the past quarter, compared with 1.3 million a year ago. Verizon, which is 45 per cent owned by Britain’s Vodafone, nevertheless still beat analysts’ estimates of 724,000 new customers, while its profits rose to a record 49 per cent.Verizon revealed how half its monthly contract customers now have data-intensive smartphones, up from 47 per cent in the first quarter, in turn boosting subscription revenues.
The average revenue per contract user also rose 3.7 per cent to a record $56.13 (£35.73).
Earlier this week it was reported that Verizon Wireless would soon be passing on part of its cash bonanza to Vodafone – possibly as much as $4.5 billion which in turn, it was said, would pass around three quarters of the money on to shareholders in the form of a special dividend.
Vodafone has yet to comment on the special dividend rumours. Last year [2011] Verizon paid Vodafone £2 billion as dividend, giving the UK company’s investors an extra 4p per share.
