Reports claim that The Carphone Warehouse, which owns several major ISP brands including TalkTalk and AOL UK's access division, is being eyed up by Vodafone for a possible takeover bid.

The operator has already seen improved shares following on the back of a buoyant festive period and is expected to report strong results before the end of January. US consumer electronics giant Best Buy has historically also been implicated in a possible bid, although little has ever come of it.

Major operators and ISP’s are often the target of bid speculation, although most such rumours usually drift onwards into the mists of time.