EMEA Telco Leaders – Page 223
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M&ARumours of Vodafone tie-up with MÁSMÓVIL resurface
But MÁSMÓVIL not necessarily the prey. Renewed media speculation that Spain’s fourth largest operator might acquire Vodafone Spain. Report from Banco Santander says MÁSMÓVIL, under new private equity owners, has the necessary financial clout to pull it off.
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M&AOi firms up mobile deal, Vivo reinforces its market lead
Oi finalises mobile asset sale to three-strong consortium of Claro, TIM Brasil, and Vivo. Oi CFO: regulatory approval expected within the year. Trifecta of assets now divested by in-administration Oi as it seeks route to recovery via fibre.
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Venturing & InvestmentsTwo Movistar Money ventures set for take-off
Consumer finance business green-lighted for launch in Colombia, enabling Group to extend partnership with stakeholder BBVA. Telco also heading trials of similar personal loan service in Mexico, with Banco Sabadell on the scene. Both moves continue recent refresh of Telefónica’s financial services partnerships.
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Network & InfrastructureO2 UK battles for 5G leadership
O2 UK flags 5G coverage expansion, matching rivals by some metrics. Apparent rollout successes come ahead of further delayed UK spectrum auction, now pushed back to March. 5G Create partnership indicates continued innovation effort.
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PremiumO2 and Sky test 5G broadcast in live sport event
5G smartphones capture handball Bundesliga action for Sky’s live broadcast.
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PremiumO2 gets in on “grey spot” action with DT and Vodafone
O2 boasts of bilateral site sharing agreements with its rivals that are expected to expand 4G coverage to hundreds of previously underserved rural locations. Agreement reached as German watchdog only approves existing DT and Vodafone grey spot partnership on condition that O2 is brought into the fold.
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Network & InfrastructureTelefónica joins European peers in open RAN push
Signs MoU with Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and Vodafone. Aim is to generate greater economies of scale for smaller suppliers through common procurement parameters. Lobbying European governments for open RAN funding high on the agenda. Telefónica makes open RAN advances in Germany, UK.
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Partnerships & AlliancesAmdocs continues LatAm transformation
System services provider Amdocs further extended its Movistar Chile partnership to cover wireline and wireless services, mirroring Brazilian precedent set in 2019. eSIM management platform added on top.
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PremiumElsewhere in Telefónica’s Core Markets: O2 commits to roaming
Regulation relaxed in Spain. O2 commits to roaming. Vivo signs renewables deal.
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Strategy & ChangeElsewhere in Telefónica Group: dev facilities in Catalonia
Support for Spanish as an AI language, research on IoT for agriculture, and applications of technology for social causes explored.
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PeopleSerrahima on the up as Telefónica targets multi brand
As Telefónica aims to make customer experience a key differentiator in its domestic market, Pedro Serrahima, the executive behind O2’s Spanish launch takes charge of the drive. Marisa Urquía also promoted to oversee transformation projects as Executive Chairman Gayo slims down the executive committee.
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Network & InfrastructureCosmote works Ericsson ties for campus network debut
Greek operator enables first 5G campus network, focused on smart-manufacturing. Project sees Ericsson further expand 5G reach within DT. PTC and Gizelis Robotics among solution partners.
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Network & InfrastructureDeutsche Telekom, Samsung team up on standalone 5G
Samsung massive MIMO radio put through its paces in Czech city of Pilsen. Project enables first massive MIMO call on end-to-end 5G architecture within Deutsche Telekom’s European footprint. Tie-up marks another (but still rare) appearance for the South Korean vendor in DT’s orbit.
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Venturing & InvestmentsSitetracker: DT backs Vodafone scale-up partner
High-volume project management platform provider Sitetracker raises $42m in latest funding round, with Deutsche Telekom-backed TIP fund in the mix. Sitetracker topped off 2020 with Vodafone Supplier Awards win.
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M&AWholesale power under scrutiny as CMA reviews VM-O2
Proposed JV’s ability to tilt backhaul market in its favour and limit opportunities for MVNOs will be central to competition review. The impact of the deal on the development of providers offering fixed-mobile bundles will receive particular scrutiny. CMA wields new powers post-Brexit, but this is accompanied by greater ...
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M&ACaching out: Vodafone’s long-range storage play exited
Group’s corporate venturing portfolio continues to dwindle as Caringo, an investment made back in late-2000s, gets absorbed by storage peer.
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Network & InfrastructureVodafone readies AWS distributed edge launch in Q1
Vodafone Business updates commercial launch plan for AWS Wavelength distributed edge on 5G. First services available in UK in Q1, German launch “coming soon”. Edge Innovation Programme kicks off this week to stimulate MEC use cases.
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PremiumTelefónica people moves: Goncharov, Mesloh to lead German sales
Alpha moonshot unit completes transition as CEO Williams begins new venture. Newly established internal-external venture unit Wayra Builder gets a head. Goncharov appointed to lead O2 Germany’s enterprise unit.
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Strategy & ChangeVodafone said to be considering Ghanaian switcheroo
Possible offload to Vodacom said to be under consideration. Deal would chime with Group leadership’s bid to consolidate Africa and Europe power bases while improving financial position. Political complications likely to be a factor.
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Network & InfrastructureDCMS preps Gigabit UK as MPs growl and BT looks ahead
Government finally picking up on election promises of Gigabit connectivity and consulting on how best to spend a more limited budget. Age-old questions remain over how to connect the unconnected, however.