All articles by Joe Purnell – Page 3
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PeoplewatchCityFibre backer PATRIZIA looks to ‘scale UK platform’
German investment manager brings in Gus Wiseman after a decade leading investor strategy in the UK government.
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M&AVodafone to ‘keep looking’ at Vantage stake as European tower scene evolves
Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle satisfied with Vantage performance, but acknowledges that consolidation is changing the landscape in several markets, and the ‘appropriate position’ for the Group’s towerco interests may also shift…
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Financial & PerformanceVodafone ‘happy’ with INWIT stake despite share slump
Group CEO Margherita Della Valle content with level of interest in Italian towerco despite share price plummeting 20% amid MNO consolidation concerns, and the prospect of a write-down looming…
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Financial & PerformanceBT CEO bullish in face of altnet challenge, Openreach line losses
Q3 FY25–26: Allison Kirkby says BT is biting back amid a fibreco incursion as Openreach passed 21 million premises and tops 38% penetration, but line losses continue to drag and seem to be tempered, not overcome…
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Financial & PerformanceVodacom’s international OpCos brace for imminent slowdown
Q3 FY25–26: Regional operations perform well despite characteristic ‘emerging market’ challenges, while Vodafone Egypt charges on. Warnings from Vodafone HQ of an imminent fall-off in growth seem set to ring true, however…
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Suppliers & SCMTelcos untouched as key vendors hit by global stock selloff
In depth: US and EMEA telco majors ride out this week’s software tech storm as investors are spooked by advanced AI developments, leaving some of the industry’s most prominent software providers in freefall…
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Strategy & ChangeBT International CEO goes ‘radical’, aims to ‘rip up the telco playbook’
Bas Burger offers a further glimpse into BT International’s roadmap, with a regional setup, multidisciplinary teams, and a sharper customer focus…
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PeoplewatchSchulman’s knife: BT procurement star looks Verizon-bound, supporting massive ‘turnaround’
In-depth: Verizon seems to be adding another European Galactico to its team, tapping BT Sourced founder Cyril Pourrat to spearhead a massive efficiency drive. New CEO Dan Schulman is targeting rapid elimination of $4bn in capex and $5bn in opex, and deployment of automation at scale. Pourrat offers battle-tested digital procurement strategies to a US-supersize turnaround story…
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Analyst BriefingVodafonewatch: IT leadership rejig; RAN upgrade kick-off
Analyst Briefing: Vodafone continues its European IT management reshuffle; pushes on with German open RAN rollout; and talks network autonomy roadmaps. Meanwhile, VOIS speaks up; the future of former OpCo Vodafone Spain; and IoT goes NTN with Skylo tie-up…
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Financial & PerformanceNetomnia joins exclusive list of £100m+ revenue UK fibre altnets
Altnet’s revenue tips into nine figures for FY25, and tops three million RFS premises, to join a trio of other challengers at the top.
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PeoplewatchBT’s procurement chief Cyril Pourrat readies for exit
Five years after founding arms-length buying business BT Sourced, Cyril Pourrat prepares to move on. BT understood to opt against a direct replacement…
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Analyst BriefingBTwatch: connecting rural reaches, shuttering legacy
Analyst Briefing: EE signals confidence in latest Emergency Services Network update; Openreach advances exchange closure programme; Business signs multimillion-pound deals; progress made on Project Gigabit…
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B2BBT bags £200m NI deal as ‘pipeline’ begins to deliver
After CEO Allison Kirkby touts ‘robust pipeline’ of deals incoming, BT confirms £200m NIE Networks managed networks contract…
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Network & InfraVodafone takes ‘effort versus value’ approach to autonomous networks
Zero-touch lead Mabel Pous-Fenollar argues for case-by-case network and operations automation, determined by an ‘effort versus value’ evaluation, to secure quick wins on the road to Level 4…
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Analyst BriefingVodafonewatch: rewiring Europe’s digital landscape
Analyst Briefing: Vodafone and European telco peers weigh up the implications the overhauled Cybersecurity Act and the all-new Digital Networks Act, reworking how the industry operates. Elsewhere, M&A in Europe and Africa; SpaceMobile ‘validated’ by gov contract win; and Turkey expands fibre reach with wholesale deal…
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M&AKenyan lawmakers question Safaricom valuation ahead of stake sale
Vodacom’s plan to acquire a controlling stake in Kenya’s Safaricom has attracted fierce scrutiny, with MPs calling for a rethink to secure a fair price and protect against foreign interference…
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Suppliers & SCMTelcos face multibillion-euro rip-and-replace project as Brussels moves to ban high-risk vendors
In depth: European Commissioner Henna Virkkunen considers the time is now to take network supply chain security “seriously”, laying out proposals to ban vendors deemed ‘high-risk’. Network operators stand to foot a multibillion-euro rip-and-replace bill, with some only recently signing kit deals with Chinese suppliers…
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Network & InfraEE closes in on Emergency Services Network coverage target
EE’s ESN delivery lead Tomas Vanderick tees up imminent network rollout milestone, and charts a course to full service ready launch via capacity and resilience stress tests. With indoor rollout beginning this year, and capacity testing at major events, the long-delayed programme is finally approaching operational readiness, but risks remain…
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Financial & PerformanceUK fibre: lenders seizing control at Gigaclear, to pursue sale — report
In depth: For the second time already in 2026, creditors look set to seize a beleaguered UK fibreco, again with trade consolidator no-show cited and equity investors squeezed out. Rural altnet heavily debt-laden but also boasts interesting KPIs, so could still turn some heads, if the price is right…
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Network & Infra‘No other choice’: 1&1 to sue BNetzA over spectrum extension move
Challenger operator CEO Ralph Dommermuth tells Handelsblatt that he intends to sue the regulator for spectrum licence extension decision that “ruled out” 1&1. “This is not OK”…