Vodafone CEO says CK Hutchison talks 39;progressing39;
Hutchison said last week concluding deal 39;difficult39;

LONDON, May 16 Reuters Vodafone39;s CEO said a longawaited 15 billion pound 19 billion plan to merge its British business with CK Hutchison39;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 Britain39;s third and fourthlargest networks, and sources had suggested that a deal was close after Hutchison39;s leadership team met British government officials in March.

Vodafone and Hutchison say they need to join forces to afford to roll out the 5G networks the British government wants, but getting a deal done has proved tougher than expected.

It will take as long as it takes to get a good deal, Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle told reporters on Tuesday, adding that the tieup still had a strong rationale and would be good for customers.

Hutchinson was similarly cautious last week, apparently rowing back from comments in March when comanaging director Canning Fok said talks were in their final stages.

I would say they Vodafone are extremely difficult to draw a conclusion with on the one hand, but on the other hand they are, in the end, very good partners, Hutchinson39;s Chief Financial Officer Frank John Sixt said last week.

Vodafone is under pressure to wrap up the deal as it looks to revive growth. It announced plans to cut 11,000…