All Competition articles
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Public Affairs
Openreach lobbies for regulatory flexibility as fibrecos take market share, struggle with debt
Openreach’s regulatory lead is twisting Ofcom’s arm to give it pricing freedom in regions where it faces two rivals. VM O2 and CityFibre contend that a firm hand is required to protect still fragile competition. While altnets are winning market share, their lenders are nervous…
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M&A
Vodafone and Digi’s two-way Romanian takeover nears sign-off
Major regulatory step forward as local antitrust authority clears the OTE Group asset’s sale.
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Financial & Performance
T-Mobile lifts guidance as buyouts and tie-ups unlock fresh growth channels
NatCo ups expectations for FY25 after delivering “best ever” Q2 for customer adds, beginning to digest two fibre acquisitions, readying closure of US Cellular deal, lining up B2B MVNO play with cablecos Charter and Comcast, and finally launching Starlink-backed T-Satellite offering….
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M&A
Vodacom’s Maziv JV clears hurdle to create $3.4bn South African fibre giant
Four years in the making, CIVH partnership looks back on track with new commitments securing regulatory approval. Deal will cement Maziv as South African retail and wholesale fibre leader…
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Public Affairs
UK Court of Appeal sides with operators in latest Phones 4u ruling
The UK Court of Appeal has decisively ruled against Phones 4u’s long-running allegations of collusion among major operators, leaving the retailer to consider its final legal options and face substantial costs…
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M&A
Vodacom welcomes antitrust reversal as fibreco deal revived
Maziv merger, which will see Vodacom take a 30% stake in a standalone South African fibre operator with Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa, now back on the table after remedies appease Competition Commission.
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M&A
Portuguese telco CEOs question ‘vision’ of regulator in crowded market
Vodafone, MEO, and NOS leaders question regulatory direction, with Vodafone Portugal CEO Luís Lopes calling ANACOM’s approach to consolidation ‘very peculiar’.
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Partnerships & Alliances
DNS:NET, Eurofiber forge German open access fibre pact
German fibre duo build on prior collaboration through the Open Access Alliance with a fresh wholesale deal, enabling them to leverage each other’s network infrastructure in Berlin.
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Financial & Performance
Safaricom Ethiopia ticks past 10m customers as startup operator marches towards scale
Greenfield operator moves past a customer base milestone four years after receiving a licence to operate in the country.
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M&A
Telefónica, MásOrange said to explore Vodafone Spain slice-up
Operators have reportedly held ‘informal’ talks over potential acquisition of Vodafone Spain, including potential to split up and purchase parts of the telco. If formalised, such a deal would face several hurdles before getting across the finish line…
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M&A
Intelsat–SES merger gets green light from UK competition watchdog
Satellite majors receive thumbs up from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority to go ahead with $3.1bn merger, clearing a major regulatory hurdle in their mission to build a “stronger and more competitive” multi-orbit satco.
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Financial & Performance
BT Consumer returns to multi-brand approach to ‘defend and win’ against altnet incursion
FY24–25: BT CEO Allison Kirkby has found an ally in new Consumer boss Claire Gillies as they work to undo ‘underweight investment’ in BT and Plusnet brands of recent years. U-turn on New EE strategy sees multi-brand approach ‘reactivated’, regional campaigns to beat local altnet competition…
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Financial & Performance
South Africa: energy challenges push rivals Vodacom and MTN to collaborate on power
Vodacom FY24–25: operators in early stages of infra-sharing under Energy Users regulation.
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Public Affairs
EWE Tel sues German regulator over spectrum extension ‘obligation’
EWE’s telecoms arm files lawsuit against the Bundesnetzagentur, claiming that the regulator needs to beef up third-party access requirements on MNOs to appropriately address competition concerns…
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M&A
Optimising Orange sells off Polish energy arm
Orange Poland offloads electricity services unit, seeking to place greater focus on telecoms and digital services rather than adjacent verticals…
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Eventwatch
Openreach and altnet ‘Gladiators’ trade blows on future costs of PIA
Connected North 2025: In robust exchanges at Connected North, Fibrus Chair warns regulator is on the verge of repeating mistakes of the past on PIA pricing, and too easily steered off course on policy.
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Network & Infra
INCA hails altnet heroes as spectre of overbuild looms
In a punchy, positive report altnet industry group INCA hails “dynamic” altnets on a mission to bring “fairer, faster, and more resilient” connectivity to the UK, but competitive benefits may not be sustainable, and the spectre of ‘supervillain’ Openreach still looms large.
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Financial & Performance
Spain’s big three see share dwindle in face of challenge from Digi et al
Latest market figures from the Spanish regulator would appear to reflect recent revenue and customer growth rates reported by up‑and‑coming Digi Spain.
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Public Affairs
Vodafone, Vantage under regulatory fire in 1&1 dispute
Germany’s antitrust authority finds that pair engaged in “anti-competitive” behaviour, saying they could have reallocated resources to fulfil contractual obligations to 1&1. Final decision expected later this year…
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Financial & Performance
Germany’s sparring telcos are yet to lay a glove on DT
FY24: Telekom Deutschland keeps a firm grip on user acquisition and retention numbers despite Germany’s emergence as a hotbed of tariff competition and promotional offers over the past year or more.