Liberty Global has completed the takeover of its Dutch telecoms JV, VodafoneZiggo.

The company announced it had acquired Vodafone’s 50 percent stake in the carrier earlier this week.

Liberty Global and Vodafone formed VodafoneZiggo in 2016 via merging Vodafone Netherlands and Ziggo. The telco serves around 6 million mobile subscribers.

The deal was announced in February following previous media reports that a deal was on the cards.

Liberty Global has paid Vodafone approximately €1.0 billion ($1.15bn) in cash for the stake and a 10 percent equity interest in Ziggo Group, which will hold Liberty Global’s interests in VodafoneZiggo in the Netherlands and Telenet in Belgium and Luxembourg. Liberty Global holds the remaining 90 percent of Ziggo Group.

This will see Ziggo Group’s combined operations serve 13 million people.

“Ziggo Group is already the most important telecommunications company in the Benelux region, with the scale to deliver the highest quality services to residential and enterprise customers and the ambition to create long-term value for shareholders,” said Mike Fries, chairman and CEO, Liberty Global.

“Local investors will soon have the opportunity to invest in a regional champion with strong customer propositions and a compelling outlook for free cash flow generation and dividends over time.

Stephen van Rooyen, VodafoneZiggo CEO and intended Ziggo Group CEO, added: “Today marks the start of Ziggo Group. For customers, nothing changes: they keep the same trusted brands they know today. Our ambition is simple: combine the strength of a larger group with the focus and entrepreneurial spirit of strong local businesses.”

The deal comes as Liberty Global plans to list Ziggo Group in Amsterdam in 2027 by spinning off the 90 percent held by Liberty Global to its shareholders.

This proposed spin-off is intended to be tax-free for US shareholders of Liberty Global (with evaluation of tax treatment in other jurisdictions ongoing), and follows the spin-off of the company’s Swiss telecoms group, Sunrise, back in 2024.