Speaking at the 2015 Wells Fargo Securities Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on Tuesday, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo vehemently denounced last week’s rumors that the company was looking to sell a large chunk of its enterprise assets, calling the reports “factless.”
“These are the same reporters and bankers who keep saying we’re going to buy Dish,” Shammo said. “There’s no foundation behind these comments.”
On Friday, Reuters reported that Verizon was looking to sell as much as $10 billion of its enterprise assets, which include Terremark (now Verizon Cloud) and MCI. Citing people familiar with the matter, Reuters noted that CenturyLink had expressed interest in purchasing some assets from Verizon but apparently couldn’t come to terms.
In his commentary, Shammo suggested the reports may have stemmed from competitors seeking to unsettle Verizon’s enterprise customers.
“These rumors and speculation are really ridiculous,” Shammo said before declining to comment further.
