Vodafone CEO says preparing for IPO of India unit, no timeline set

Vodafone Group Plc , the world's second-largest mobile operator by subscribers, is preparing for an initial public offering of its India unit, Chief Executive Vittorio Colao said, local TV channels reported on Wednesday. Colao said he was "positively inclined to an IPO," but was yet to take a final call since market conditions were still volatile. An IPO for the telecom operator's India unit has been in the works for years now, but no date had been announced. Vodafone entered India in 2007 by acquiring Hutchison Whampoa's mobile phone assets.