Vodafone In Dividend Talks With Verizon

British telecom giant Vodafone

is in talks with Verizon

regarding dividend payments for Vodafone's 45% stake in Verizon's wireless business. The Guardian newspaper reported that Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao and Verizon's top boss Ivan Seidenberg have been in "secret" talks regarding a dividend payment that could yield Vodafone up to $4.6 billion. Verizon suspended dividend payments to Vodafone in 2005 in a move to force the British company to sell its stake, but Vodafone has held firm and grown tired of not receivng dividends on its investmetn. Verizon has a 23% holding in Vodafone's business in Italy, and before Colao became head of Vodafone he was chief of its Italian operation and had frequent meetings with his US shareholder, the Guardian reported. Analysts said that once Verizon starts paying Vodafone dividends, Vodafone may eventually sell its stake or the two companies could combine to form one of the largest mobile phone carriers in the world.