Headlines – Page 18
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M&A
Spain makes “strategic” move for 10% stake in Telefónica
Spanish government set to become the operator’s largest shareholder, with move framed as “of essential importance” to defending national interests. Purchase follows stc’s controversial entry as a Telefónica shareholder, as its European expansion drive continues.
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M&A
Infra group Gresham House flags plan to double its asset base as takeover completes
Searchlight Capital Partners finalises its acquisition of UK infra investor Gresham, promising support for management strategy bolstered by capital and expertise for “wider” M&A.
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Strategy & Change
Post-peak Openreach workforce reduction underway
‘Natural attrition’ at heart of plans to right-size Openreach for its lean full‑fibre future; find out more on the details…
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Network & Infrastructure
Connect Fibre wins again in Project Gigabit awards
Connect Fibre won its second Project Gigabit contract, but the BDUK initiative experienced a setback as an anticipated £80m contract in the North East fell through.
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Network & Infrastructure
Telekom Deutschland on track to pass ten million premises in 2024
German NatCo maintains flagship FTTP goal, although driving take‑up remains a challenge.
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Venturing & Investments
European Investment Bank funnels €175m into German rural fibre
Northern Fibre Holding Group increases fibre build scope with fresh EU funding. Owner UBS keen to continue investing in the country, noting public funding as crucial to success.
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M&A
Telefónica|Vivo ‘in talks’ over potential Oi fibre unit buy
Potential 15%+ increase in already fast-growing Brazilian fibre reach, fuelling Spanish Group’s charge to 100 million worldwide…
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Network & Infrastructure
BT Digital Voice migration hits another roadblock
BT further stymied in drive towards all‑IP landline by 2026, as UK players sign government Charter in pledge to protect most vulnerable customers; non-voluntary migrations paused…
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M&A
Iliad takes another run at Vodafone Italy with €10.5bn merger proposal
Persistent suitor is back in the frame, this time seeking to merge with the OpCo after takeover bid was rejected last year. Terms allow for a growing stake should Vodafone give the nod…
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People
Exit of OTE’s long-serving boss prompts reshuffle at DT
Michael Tsamaz to leave Greek operator in mid-2024, ending spell spanning more than a decade. Reverbrations reach Hrvatski Telekom…
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Interview
Hello, Beastie: Octopus Energy’s Kraken takes on legacy tech in broadband customer service
Exclusive: Kraken Utilities CEO and sibling Cuckoo’s CCO discuss how Octopus Energy’s tech platform underpins growth ambitions. Watch out Amdocs, NetSuite (Oracle), Salesforce, SAP…
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Strategy & Change
Safaricom fosters digital, engineering talent in youth employment drive
Safaricom develops ‘engineering talent pipeline’ to equip itself and wider Kenyan technology ecosystem with talent in digital and engineering spheres. Read more…
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Interview
Tesco Mobile’s CTO delivers the goods with tech refresh
Sally Marriott highlights work to supercharge innovation at Tesco–Virgin Media O2 joint venture, via wide-scale transformation programme. Assisted by Adobe and Salesforce, as wall as co-owner VM O2…
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Partnerships & Alliances
Vodafone’s Pairpoint JV bulks up for logistics drive
Strategic partnership with Deloitte and Nexxiot bolsters joint venture’s offering for automating container shipping logistics.
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Network & Infrastructure
BT targets quantum threat with partner-led ‘quantum-safe tunnels’
Arqit and Fortinet join BT to launch commercial quantum-protected VPN service for UK and EU customers.
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Network & Infrastructure
Almost a decade on, Magyar Telekom gets 4G network-sharing clearance
Hungary’s competition authority cancelled its own scrutiny of the 800MHz lease agreement.
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People
Virgin Media O2 swaps commercial and ops execs
Ulrik Bengtsson and Gareth Turpin depart, with former strategic director Rob Orr taking the operational wheel, and Christian Hindennach filling in as commercial lead temporarily.
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Public Affairs
UK industry reacts to Ofcom’s mid-contract price hike crackdown
Defensive reactions from BT, Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone to populist proposal to eradicate uncertain mid-contract price hikes; TalkTalk pushes back on Openreach and Ofcom…
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Public Affairs
O2 Germany’s Haas adds weight to plea for more mobile spectrum
O2 Germany says tests show upper 6GHz band is well‑suited for mobile communications.
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Consumer (B2C)
Wound-up Ofcom ‘demands answers’ from UK’s dominant ISPs as One Touch Switching delayed again
The UK’s fixed-connectivity scheme remains in disarray, with regulator demanding answers from BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media O2. Will it deem delays anticompetitive, and how will it act forcefully?