Africa & Middle East – Page 15
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OperationsDeutsche Telekom retains Russian presence
Reports indicate hundreds of employees remain in St. Petersburg, two months after software development was said to be moved elsewhere.
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Strategy & ChangeTowerCo agenda in “final stages” as Vodacom targets power resilience
Inter-operator synergies and power supply assurance the top priorities for upcoming TowerCo.
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Strategy & ChangeAll eyes on Read as e& acquires $4.4bn Vodafone stake
Chief Executive Nick Read ‘blindsided’ by announcement ahead of Tuesday’s annual results call.
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Financial & PerformanceVodafone Q4 FY21–22: Super apps and fintech investment to drive Vodacom growth
FY21–22 results underline revenue diversification ambitions, with ‘new services’ set to contribute increasing proportion to bottom line.
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PremiumElsewhere in Vodafone Africa: Telkom SA settles with ICASA
Telkom SA reaches out-of-court settlement with ICASA over spectrum auction; Vodacom granted appeal in Please Call Me case.
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Partnerships & AlliancesStill no date for Safaricom Ethiopia launch
STE indicates it is close to reaching network-sharing agreements with Ethio Telecom. Changes to national payments law should pave way for M-PESA.
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PremiumElsewhere in Vodafone Associates & JVs: Bharti Airtel Chairman wants “affordable” spectrum
TRAI proposes near-40% reduction across spectrum bands in upcoming auction; Vodafone Egypt acquires 10% stakes in e-payment platforms Bee and Masary.
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PremiumVodafone people moves: German leadership continues evolution
Vodafone Germany CEO replacement named; Networks lead confirmed; and Commercial Operations lead filled temporarily. Vodafone UK’s strategy chief Dixit set to join former CEO Jeffery at Frontier. Vodacom SA CEO Sharma confirmed departure leaving vacancy at the top. Vodafone Carrier and Partner Markets names regional management changes.
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Partnerships & AlliancesVodacom signs “exclusive” deal with Visa in South Africa
New contract builds on similar deal between Safaricom and Visa for M-PESA. Visa payments option likely to be available as a virtual card integrated into the recently launched VodaPay Super App.
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Partnerships & AlliancesOrange leans on DT buying ties to counter inflation
Executives lay out anti-inflation toolkit in macro risk-inflected Q1 results call. BuyIn joint venture with DT highlighted as having an important role in dampening cost pressures. African ops described as “resilient” to Ukraine war shockwaves.
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Network & InfrastructureVodacom Tanzania targets rural areas with fibre investment
TZS 25bn investment secures use of government-owned fibre infrastructure. State wants 80% population coverage by 2025. OpCo aims to offer increased access to healthcare, education and “financial inclusion”.
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Network & Infrastructure“A serious tragedy”: Vodacom begins repairs following SA floods
KwaZulu-Natal flooding declared an emergency with more than 300 dead. Vodacom cites ‘social contract’ in ZAR 3m relief donation. Operators begin network restoration, with power outages a core issue after backup batteries washed out.
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Partnerships & AlliancesM-PESA gets interoperability boost in Kenya
Airtel, Telkom, and Safaricom customers granted access to M-PESA till payments. Central Bank of Kenya says first phase will “deepen digitalisation” for businesses. Airtel Money and T-kash equivalents still some way off.
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Network & InfrastructureDT committed to high-flying partner despite write-down
HAPS specialist Stratospheric Platforms remains loss making, but DT stays on board. Pilot in Saudi Arabia beamed a 5G signal from a mast 45,000ft in the air.
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OperationsCost-cutter and digitiser _VOIS: Vodafone’s agent of change lands in three new Local Markets
Vodafone Intelligent Solutions said to have created new bases in Albania, Turkey, and the UK. Group’s long-term centralisation efforts netted over €1.2bn in savings in the three years to March 2021.
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Partnerships & AlliancesUiPath highlights RPA tie-ups with T-Mobile, Vodacom
T-Mobile has been working with RPA specialists to handle the Sprint integration. Vodacom sees RPA as key to operational efficiency and customer experience.
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Venturing & InvestmentsUK’s rebranded BII embarks on new impact investing
British International Investment (BII) embraces broader digital strategy.
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Operations“A country with enormous potential”: Safaricom poised for Ethiopia launch
Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia aims to go live on 9 April 2022. Hopes to add M-PESA within the next 12 months. Over 300 staff recruited to work in the country.
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PremiumVodafone people moves: Vi actions Digital shake-up
Indian operator Vi sees Chief Digital Officer Jain exit ahead of Consumer Digital function refresh. Operations and skills transformation appointments made at Group-level. Italy’s INWIT JV names Technology and Planning leads in senior changes. TechCo transition takes hold at Vodafone Italy. Fintech vertical in the spotlight at Safaricom on ...
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PremiumElsewhere in Vodafone Africa: corruption in Lesotho?
Allegations of corruption in Lesotho said to be hampering 5G deployment; Vodacom appeals Please Call Me High Court ruling.