Vodafone CEO says Three UK deal to ‘take as long as it takes’

LONDON: Vodafone’s CEO said a long-awaited 15 billion pound ($19 billion) plan to merge its British business with CK Hutchison’s Three UK mobile network is “progressing” but is not there yet, dampening hopes of a deal being imminent.

The companies have been in talks since at least October to combine Britain’s third and fourth-largest networks, and sources had suggested that a deal was close after Hutchison’s leadership team met British government officials in March.