Global Telco News
All the latest regional insight, news and analysis from inside and across BT, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica and Vodafone globally.
Telefónica handed EC fine for Brazilian non‑compete deal
Safaricom energy ally Circle Gas lands big Japanese backer
Vodafone names partners for speech‑based AI bot
Vi reports further losses as government takeover looms
Vodafone under M&A spotlight in Italy, UK
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Strategy & ChangeVodafone in the market for London real estate
Reports indicate desire for more office space in London alongside Paddington HQ. Growing software engineering team seemingly looking for desks, with Future Ready hybrid‑working model rolling out in parallel.
- Network & Infrastructure
Submarine cable vulnerabilities surface
Malicious threats loom, but accidental damage more common. Russian aggression, underwater volcanoes, fishing and anchoring roil subsea cable networks. Difficult to prevent damage, resiliency is best protection.
- M&A
Vodafone under M&A spotlight in Italy, UK
Group reportedly in consolidation talks with Iliad in Italy. A potential merger with Three UK was also apparently explored. Vodafone keeps head down as rumours swirl. Read keen advocate of European in‑market consolidation.
- 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
- Public Affairs
Telefónica handed EC fine for Brazilian non‑compete deal
Decade‑long proceedings close with Telefónica — along with Pharol — ordered to hand over €79m for antitrust breach. European Commission findings upheld despite yo‑yoing, with final charge held for Telefónica and down slightly for Pharol.
- M&A
Vodafone under M&A spotlight in Italy, UK
Group reportedly in consolidation talks with Iliad in Italy. A potential merger with Three UK was also apparently explored. Vodafone keeps head down as rumours swirl. Read keen advocate of European in‑market consolidation.
- Network & Infrastructure
Telefónica’s PangeaCo begins operations in Peru
Telefónica appears to have failed to find an investor for the Peruvian FibreCo. Political situation may have complicated efforts to find a partner.
- Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in Hispanoamérica: Movistar battles it out with WOM over fibre
Telefónica Chile wins over WOM in fibre building showdown; OB performs first remote 5G mammogram in region.
- People
Former Telefónica exec takes Sky Mexico helm
Luis Malvido, ex‑CEO at Telefónica businesses in Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic, and Venezuela, takes the lead at Mexican rival.
- Venturing & Investments
Safaricom energy ally Circle Gas lands big Japanese backer
Deal with conglomerate Marubeni Corporation comes with prepaid LPG startup planning to expand beyond Safaricom-supported deployment in Kenya and into new markets in Africa and Asia.
- Operations
Safaricom Ethiopia splashes out $100m on first data centre
Located in capital city Addis Ababa, the installation accounts for one third of a total $300m investment pegged for first year of operations. Data centre, which will house “core network infrastructure”, was built in China and transported to Ethiopia. Rabacal indicates the same business model will be used for ...
- M&A
Vodacom moves closer to Vodafone Egypt takeover
Vodacom gets shareholder backing for acquisition of 51% stake. Regulatory approval is still required.
- Partnerships & Alliances
New business boosts Atento diversification drive
Former Telefónica subsidiary flags growth in new sectors and USA as it expects legacy revenues from Spanish operator to dwindle. Cyberattack in Brazil disrupted services but will not affect financial guidance.
- Venturing & Investments
SignalWire secures investment from DT’s strategic fund
Telekom Innovation Pool gets involved following $30m (€27m) Series-B round in June.
- Products & Services
Nozomi added to BT security portfolio
Partnership will see OT, IoT specialist’s solutions resold via BT.
- 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.
- Financial & Performance
Vi reports further losses as government takeover looms
Net loss grows 60% year-on-year, with revenue down 10.7%. Earnings report comes amid expectation that Indian government will take majority stake in struggling JV. Absence of annual profit since launch of Reliance Jio in 2016.
- Operations
T-Systems resets India expansion target to support savings push
DT’s enterprise division re-commits to plan to hire thousands of new tech staff. Local digital boss Anant Padmanabhan promoted to lead services unit T‑Systems ICT India. India back in vogue for DT’s management as it seeks fresh talent for digital transformation.
