Telecoms Partnerships & Alliances
All the latest insight, news and analysis on telecoms partnerships and alliances including BT, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica and Vodafone.
Partnerships & Alliances
EWE ‘committed’ to Telekom Deutschland fibre JV
‘Complaint of non-admission’ submitted to Federal Court of Justice after it revoked approval of TDE-EFE joint venture late last year. Glasfaser Nordwest was deemed “illegal” following controversial 2019 launch
Partnerships & Alliances
Vodafone names partners for speech‑based AI bot
TPG Telecom ties with Genesys and Google Cloud to launch an “upgrade” to Vodafone’s TOBi chatbot. Natural language processing integration set to improve voice channel triaging, with sales role touted in a future deployment.
Strategy & Change
Telefónica e‑learning unit rehoused to target enterprise
Telefónica Educación Digital moves under Group’s Filiales unit, alongside the likes of the Prosegur Alarmas JV and retail manager Telyco. Reorganisation said to benefit business’s enterprise ambitions. Digital education solutions and services cropping up across Telefónica’s Spanish operation.
Products & Services
BT, VMware target modern network and security challenges
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), delivered as a BT-managed service, supports the adoption of “the latest technologies and workstyles” Latest in a string of collaborations between BT and VMware following long-term SD-WAN partnership.
Network & Infrastructure
Vodafone claims 5G open RAN first
Vodafone UK launches 5G open RAN site, building on government‑led open infrastructure ambition. Initial launch leverages partnerships with Capgemini, Dell, Intel, Keysight, Samsung, and Wind River. NEC and Samsung to be used in tandem for 2,500 sites from mid‑2022.
Partnerships & Alliances
Vodafone Carrier Services flags stc Bahrain tie‑up
Partners aim to ‘drive IP adoption’ in the Middle East. Anticipating “tremendous connectivity growth” in the region.
Partnerships & Alliances
BT ties with SES on ‘multi‑orbit’ data and IoT
Global division looking to satcomms to expand mining sector presence and boost search for growth. Tie-up bridges various in-vogue areas of enterprise IoT, satellite, not‑spot coverage, and cloud productised services. Deal appears precursor to broader revamp of BT’s ecosystem at intersection of wireless and satcomms.
Partnerships & Alliances
O2 Germany teams with Westenergie Breitband for fixed access
German operator signs up seventh wholesale partner. New deal with E.ON‑owned provider also facilitated by Vitroconnect.
Venturing & Investments
DT’s renewed SoftBank tie‑up leads to GoStudent investment
Deutsche Telekom and strategic partner SoftBank co‑invested in ed-tech platform provider GoStudent. Investment collaboration one of the promised benefits to renewed friendship last year, with GoStudent the first to profit from DT–SoftBank tie‑up.
Partnerships & Alliances
Telefónica signs Infobip on B2B client support
Movistar partners communications platform provider Infobip to expand its B2B suite. Omnichannel communications services touted under new service.
Partnerships & Alliances
VM O2 picks ITV for IPTV advertising support
VM O2 signs ITV for content aggregator play. Addressable advertising and “full” integration among the benefits. JV’s first IPTV service pushed back for a 2022 launch.
Innovation (R&D)
T-Labs taps Merantix for AI voice fraud detection
Deutsche Telekom’s research arm ties with natural language processing partner Merantix Labs to co‑develop deepfake detection tool. Seen as a likely necessity for future AI robustness, and builds on broader voice tech from across the Group.
Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in Germany: TDE teams with Westenergie Breitband
O2 Germany teams with Westenergie Breitband for fixed access; Wayra‑backed IoT platform joined German portfolio; Allianz takes fibre funding to Austria.