All articles by Joe Purnell
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Network & InfraUK’s long-delayed ESN gets a new set of ‘realistic but ambitious’ targets
The oft-criticised Emergency Services Network is now expected to go ‘live’ in mid-2028, with a mass transition not set to complete until 2030 — more than a decade behind schedule. EE and IBM claim significant progress, however, and Home Office assures latest dates are within reason…
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Network & InfraINWIT fights back as anchor tenants threaten to dismantle Italian towerco business model
In-depth: Towers showdown erupts in Italy as Fastweb + Vodafone looks to pull out of its INWIT MSA and is met by ‘conflict’ accusations and a legal response. With Vodafone still exposed indirectly, and peers observing with interest, Europe’s once-staid infra sector continues to reset…
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Analyst BriefingVodafonewatch: grand openings, network upgrades
Analyst Briefing: Vodafone cuts the ribbon to a new logistics hub in Luxembourg and data centre in Turkey; signs a series of cable upgrade deals in Germany and network innovation collaborations with Tiami Networks, Cirrus360, and more; plus M&A in Czechia and AI expertise exports in Kenya…
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Suppliers & SCMOpenreach taps Google Cloud for fleet migration, fibre planning
Suite of Google Cloud platforms and tools support Openreach’s fibre-building machine, ‘optimising’ the EV fleet and streamlining network planning.
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Network & InfraVodafone Germany adds tech partners to drive cable upgrades
German OpCo works with Huber+Suhner and Aurora Networks to support efforts to tap traditional cable stronghold, with fibre playing a supporting role.
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Network & InfraSouth Africa: MAZIV targets townships with major ‘fibre to the shack’ push
In-depth: Vodacom-backed fibreco’s Vumatel wholesale arm is targeting townships with a ‘fibre-to-the-shack’ rollout to unlock digital inclusion at scale. Smart deployment, aggressive pricing, and parental synergies enable the plan, rivalling wireless and satellite alternatives.
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InterviewIrrational and anti-competitive: CityFibre CEO urges CMA scrutiny of nexfibre-Netomnia-VM O2 consolidation play
Exclusive: In his first interview as CEO, Simon Holden unpacks Ofcom’s TAR framework and why the Competition and Markets Authority must intervene in the contentious £2bn nexfibre–Netomnia merger to protect infrastructure competition and prevent re-emergence of duopoly stagnation.
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PeoplewatchPairpoint brings in new CEO from Vodafone B2B partner
Zak Doffman, founder and CEO of Digital Barriers, takes over at Vodafone’s Economy of Things joint venture Pairpoint…
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InterviewBattle scars and skin in the game: VOIS breaks out from Vodafone’s captive shared services
Deep dive: by stepping out of the shadow, the once-captive telco shared services business is rewriting the playbook for commercial enterprise ‘shared intelligence’ as a standalone powerhouse. With Accenture on side, and tapping Vodafone Business and others for go-to-market, leaders Gary Adey and Chris Meads tell TelcoTitans that VOIS is an increasingly ‘big lever’ for its parent to pull…
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Strategy & ChangeVIRTUS bets on tier-two Europe in ‘speculative’ data centre expansion
Interview: Macquarie-backed operator VIRTUS Data Centres is accelerating its European ambitions with a speculative build model, targeting tier‑two metros to stay ahead of hyperscaler demand and replicate a tried-and-true campus model. Business Development VP Christina Mertens talks ambition, strategy, and investor backing…
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Analyst BriefingBTwatch: slicing 5G, steering 6G
Analyst Briefing: BT gets to work on 5G network slicing with Ericsson in a bid to leverage the network for B2B customers; while ‘committing’ with Nokia, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm to help shape early 6G thinking…
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PeoplewatchVodafone Peoplewatch: IT and Networks leadership changes across Europe
March 2026 update, including senior IT, legal, and procurement appointments in Europe; integration impacts felt in the UK and Romania; Europe Cluster network operations lead picked from Vodafone Turkey; Safaricom targets fixed business…
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Analyst BriefingVodafonewatch MWC roundup: satcomms centre stage; AI-RAN advancing
Analyst Briefing: Satcomms, D2D, edge compute, and AI-RAN were among the focus areas for Vodafone in Barcelona…
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Network & InfraVodafone Turkey–DAMAC data centre project nears go-live despite 50% surge in costs
Izmir data centre project set to enter operation imminently, a year behind schedule and with investment jumping $50m on initial estimates.
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Products & ServicesVodafone’s Pairpoint JV enters ‘next wave’ with quantum-secure IoT
Vodafone–Sumitomo joint venture launches Pairpoint Secure for a post-quantum security ‘injection’. Last year’s ‘strategic realignment’ bears first fruit…
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Products & ServicesTurkey: Vodafone repositions ahead of ‘largest 5G launch yet’
MWC26: Vodafone Turkey CEO Engin Aksoy says infra is in place, focus now on repositioning commercial approach to leverage 5G once live.
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Network & InfraVodafone heralds ‘next evolution’ as AI-RAN moves from theory to application
MWC26: CTO Scott Petty and network strategy chief Marco Zangani highlight work with vendors push AI deeper into the network as tech moves ‘from theory into practice’…
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Network & InfraBT taps Ericsson for programmable networks ‘building blocks’
MWC26: networks chief Greg McCall touts expanded Ericsson engagement as laying the foundations for dynamic, programmable, application-aware networks, with network slicing and APIs for real-world use-cases.
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Network & InfraBT gets in on 6G action with vendor triumvirate
MWC26: Group adds its logo to Nokia, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm 6G initiatives as BT’s tentative, sometimes dismissive view of 6G begins to give way…
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Network & InfraEnter SatCo: Vodafone raises curtain on European D2D branding, management
Branding, management, and governance unveiled as Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile take another step towards direct-to-device services launch in Europe. ‘We’re here to complement, not compete’ is the message from leadership, as satco takes on ‘operator-led’ model…