All articles by James Groves – Page 6
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PeopleHöttges steps down from Henkel board
DT CEO gives up another Supervisory Board seat following Bayern Munich exit. Höttges said to have announced Henkel decision internally back in September 2021.
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Innovation (R&D)Vodafone fosters bot-to-bot transactions with DAB trial
Digital Asset Broker platform enables connected devices to complete transactions “without human intervention”. Electric vehicle trial goes live at Vodafone UK’s technology centre in collaboration with Energy Web and Mastercard.
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PremiumVodafone Q3 FY21–22: Read asserts “proactivity” on M&A
Management seeks to seize back agenda amid growing City pressure for urgency on assets sales. Minimal progress appears to have been made on Read’s long-term push for four-to-three consolidation. German operation unsurprisingly draws questions following embarrassing missteps.
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PremiumEuropean fragmentation takes centre stage at MWC
Vodafone execs Nick Read and Joakim Reiter take part in MWC 2022 keynotes to deliver consistent messages on “life or death” matter of digital transformation. Pair demands government collaboration once again. Cites Spain’s digitalisation approach as a “blueprint” for countries throughout Europe.
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Network & Infrastructure“Huge volume of work ahead”: Openreach details storm recovery efforts
Eunice and Franklin repairs ongoing, but still almost 20,000 Openreach customers unable to access broadband. “Vast majority” down to power outages. About 100 Openreach poles damaged alongside 300 green roadside cabinets.
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PremiumTelefónica Deutschland extends Haas deal
Markus Haas will remain as CEO until the end of 2025, stretching his stay at the company to 24 years across various roles. Telefónica Deutschland cites Haas’ successful execution of “ambitious plans” as key reason behind extension.
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Network & Infrastructure“They shut down schools and hospitals”: Vodafone Portugal laments hackers
Bullish open letter says the operator is a “force they will never be able to erase”. Mário Vaz, Vodafone Portugal CEO, says recovering from “terrorist” incident will be a “lengthy” job.
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Venturing & InvestmentsZone2boost doubles down on startup investments
Wayra-backed ‘innovation alliance’ adds eight companies to its roster. Total investment now surpasses €1.5m mark.
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Public AffairsSwiss court orders DT to seize $12.7m in assets
Ruling says funds due to Airport Authority of India. Convoluted case sees Deutsche Telekom caught in the crossfire as a result of minority stake in Devas Multimedia. Long-running legal disputes date back 17 years.
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Public AffairsVodafoneZiggo suspends employee over transgressive behaviour
Dutch JV “shocked” by revelations. Investigation launched amid multiple reports of unacceptable behaviour.
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OperationsLittle Cab arrives in Ethiopia
Safaricom-backed ride-hailing app attempting to rival Uber in Ethiopian capital. Expansion into the country has been delayed by COVID-19.
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Public AffairsM-PESA cleared for Ethiopian launch
State Minister of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance anticipates wider Safaricom launch “sometime in April”. M-PESA app will be introduced to a new market of 116 million people. Question marks remain regarding third telecoms licence in the country.
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M&ADiscovery JV: BT Sport to be unbundled from BT
Another twist to the tale as BT and Discovery enter exclusive discussions. Jansen indicates agreement encompasses Eurosport UK and ‘Discovery app’, hinting at sports content tie-up; says deal has “no downsides”. The move could be a huge blow to DAZN, which appeared to have secured an $800m buyout.
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PremiumDigital Space joins the Elite
IT provider appointed BT Wholesale Elite Partner. Three-tier Partner Plus programme launched last spring now boasts more than 100 collaborators.
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Financial & PerformanceVodafone’s Q3 deciphered: glad-handing activists; German misfire; IoT, Africa fintech blossom
Management seeks to seize back agenda amid growing City pressure for urgency on asset sales. CEO Nick Read assures Group will be “proactive” in finding returns-focused deals. German user experience misstep takes gloss off solid set of numbers. Price rises planned across Europe, in response to rising costs.
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PremiumT-Systems targets public transport Goal
Goal Systems partnership aims to accelerate digitisation, initially in Central and Southern Europe.
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PremiumTDE launches text-based emergency calls app
Patented nora becomes “official” emergency calls app for German federal states.
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PremiumDT taps Aurea for virtual office pilot
Trial rolled out across DT’s 30,000 customer service employees.
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M&ARegulator approves Oi sale
Decision confirmed, subject to conditions, after Brazilian regulator Anatel postponed ruling last week. A board member had asked for additional time to review sale to a consortium featuring Telefónica|Vivo, Claro Brasil, and TIM Brasil. Final approval still required from competition authority CADE.
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Partnerships & AlliancesEWE ‘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