Joe Purnell
Joseph Purnell is BTwatch and Vodafonewatch Editor and a Senior Reporter at TelcoTitans, contributing telecoms news analysis since 2019 as part of the TelcoTitans Editorial team.
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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…
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…
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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.
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’…
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.
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…
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…