All articles by Joe Purnell – Page 71
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InnovationTestbeds and Trials: many roads to 5G for BT
Two private networks in the West Midlands to be switched on, powering manufacturing modernisation in the region, underpinned by BT infrastructure. BT/EE powers two projects in state-backed 5G Create funding call.
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PremiumBT people moves: Chairman du Plessis steps down from post
Jan du Plessis relinquishes chairmanship after four years, Ian Cheshire emerges as potential successor. Former Chairman Michael Rake also seeks a change after stepping down from his Huawei UK posting. Sherman understudy Johanna Lim leaves for Amazon.
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PeoplewatchDT’s tech and M&A chiefs earn contract extensions
Thorsten Langheim (USA & Group Development) and Claudia Nemat (Technology & Innovation) both pick up new five-year deals. CEO Höttges underlines stability and momentum for the Group.
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Venturing & InvestmentsWayra levels up with co-operative gaming investment
Telefónica open innovation hub puts gaming and e-sports in its investment crosshairs, drawing together fellow venturers for “up to €2m” commitments. Fourteen funds participate in this year’s Coinvestment Day.
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PeoplewatchTelefónica moves: Oslé named Spain CEO; Almazor heads up Cloud
Newly-formed Unsere Grüne Glasfaser FTTH joint venture names a handful of team members ahead of anticipated approval. Movistar CEO rotates to lead Telefónica Tech’s Cloud unit, while Sergio Oslé takes the Spain spot. New strategic planning lead at Group-level.
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Public AffairsOpenreach strike action goes ahead
Strike underway in row over engineer pay grade restructuring. Industrial action described as a ‘wake-up call’ for the whole of BT amidst wider unrest.
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M&AVodafone readies cheque for Egyptian fintech players
Vodafone Egypt signs MoU for minority stakes in digital payment players Bee and Masary. New Vodafone Egypt CEO Abdallah seeks to paint deal as part of “promising” strategic investment plan, following Group’s failed exit.
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PremiumVodafone people moves: Italy’s commercial leadership confirmed
Veteran executive departures at the top of India’s Vi. Vodafone Hungary’s Enterprise Business Unit gets a new lead from Apple. Raimondi named Commercial Director in place of now-Chief Commercial Officer Duilio.
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M&ATelefónica to swap more data centres for Nabiax stake
Four data centres are said to be on the table, with a 20%-stake in Asterion subsidiary Nabiax the price. Nabiax-Telefónica JV reportedly in the pipeline to manage the estate.
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Venturing & InvestmentsYBVR earns extra Wayra investment for XR platform
Extended reality startup raises $1.5m in Pre-Series-A round, with Wayra increasing its initial investment. YBVR’s Verizon partnership bolstered. Wayra continues to bet on AR/VR/XR.
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Products & ServicesTelefónica’s Chema Alonso ‘to drive Spanish press Netflix’
Telefónica Chief Digital Consumer Officer will reportedly lead the project, dubbed the “Netflix of the press”. EU reconstruction funding said to be on the cards.
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PremiumDeutsche Telekom people moves: Petri named Deputy CSO
20-year veteran Axel Petri named Deputy CSO under Thomas Tschersich. In-house consultancy makes exec swaps. New CFOs installed at T-Systems in Brazil and the Netherlands. Changes at T-Mobile US’s Emerging Technologies unit: Dwayne Benefield and Ivo Rook leave; Julie Goldthwait steps up.
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PremiumBT people moves: Groth joins Data & AI team
BT continues Digital refresh: Group Data & AI Solutions unit further fills out with Groth joining to lead partnerships. Weston picks up Transformation Performance remit at Global. Chet Patel takes Americas MD spot at Global, with Vanderick holding fort as MD, Commercial. James Lilley to drive all-IP for Openreach ...
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Partnerships & AlliancesTelefónica sews up Hyperledger Fabric agreement
Telefónica Tech signs collaborative agreement with blockchain consortium Alastria, which will see the operator build and manage a DLT network. T. Tech continues to play with DLT hosting service offering, building on Hyperledger experience.
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PremiumTelefónica people moves: Garcia ascends to TIP directors board
Juan Carlos Garcia becomes the face of Telefónica’s collaborative innovation endeavour by succeeding David del Val at 5TONIC and Telecom Infra Project. Michael Falkensteiner takes on German brand leadership. Another former O2 exec joins Deutsche Glasfaser management.
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Strategy & ChangeTelefónica Global Solutions looks to trim headcount
Recently bundled wholesale services unit will offer incentivised early retirement to its over-53s, as part of ongoing contract suspension scheme.
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PeoplewatchFormer EE chief Swantee joins Vodafone Board
Olaf Swantee will join the Group’s Board of Directors in July, pending approval. The former EE and Sunrise CEO has also spent time at Orange, Telia, and T-Mobile US.
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PremiumVodafone people moves: new lead to drive Group transformation plans
New Transformation Director in as CFO mulls yet another step-up in efficiencies plans. New CEO Aksoy formally takes over at Vodafone Turkey. Vantage Towers inaugurates its Supervisory Board with Grube as Chair. CISO swap at India’s Vi.
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Strategy & ChangeDeutsche Telekom to ‘new-skill’ nearly a third of workforce
VP, Digital Transformation Bruné highlights skill upgrades as fundamental to success, pushing “new-skilling” to top of the Group’s strategic priority list. DT aims for 30% uptake of up-skilling programme by 2024.
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Partnerships & AlliancesHrvatski Telekom connects Split
HT and IT services subsidiary Combis take home smart-city platform contract, building digital transformation service for the City.




















