All articles by Joseph Purnell – Page 44
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Innovation (R&D)BT breaks ground on sustainable housing project
BT and partners New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and the University of Suffolk began construction on the EcoLab zero-carbon affordable home project. Forms part of Adastral Park’s DigiTech Centre, building on ties with the Group’s university partner.
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PremiumVodafone breaks ground at Málaga R&D hub
European research centre launched in Spain, with a second set for Germany later in 2022. Open RAN architecture development the focus initially, with other emerging and established technologies next in incremental expansion. Local hubs to provide services for “global” enterprise and public sector customers.
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PeopleTelefónica alumnus tapped for state’s expanded Indra interest
Communications director Sergio Sánchez reportedly added to board at former Telefónica investment Indra Sistemas. News follows a 10% increase in the Spanish government’s shareholding in the company and adds to apparent power struggle in the boardroom.
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Partnerships & AlliancesE.ON taps Vodafone for IoT-backed water meters
Vodafone Germany set to deploy 1,000 “intelligent” meters to detect pipe damage and conserve resources. Plug and play technology aims to hasten deployment and meet anticipated future demand.
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M&AINWIT eyeing European towers for potential M&A
Vodafone and Telecom Italia TowerCo joint venture lays out framework for “financial flexibility”, enabling M&A when opportunities arise. CEO Giovanni Ferigo claims organic growth remains the focus, but admits interest in smaller European players. Capital allocated to enable inorganic options.
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Partnerships & AlliancesDT extends 1&1 wholesale deal to fibre
German operator adds ten years to fixed network partnership. Local regulator’s promise for “light” regulatory approach to fibre pays off.
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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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PremiumVodafone people moves: eyes on public sector in enterprise swaps
New enterprise segment leads in Italy, Spain, the UK, and others, with public sector account growth among the primary targets. Scott Petty adds Vodafone weight to TM Forum initiative. Governance and regulatory spots filled across the operator’s footprint. Group loses quintet of IoT developers to rival BT as health-tech ...
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M&ABT Italia offloads SAP services subsidiary
BT Global continues ‘global not national’ streamlining programme with the sale of Italian IT outsourcing outfit ERPTech. €4m+ deal leaves Italia lightweight but focused.
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Venturing & InvestmentsBT opens venturing wallet for on-demand talent pool startup
Startup acceleration ambition kickstarted with minority stake in Distributed. New acquisition to provide BT access to on-demand software engineering teams to support development projects, with connected healthcare solutions first up. BT’s Harmeen Mehta hopes such partnerships will alleviate skills shortage pressures and drive her digitalisation agenda.
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Public AffairsViasat’s Inmarsat takeover hits political debris
US satellite operator’s planned acquisition of UK rival (and Deutsche Telekom partner) prompts national security concerns as critical infrastructure given state protection. New foreign takeover law affords Whitehall power to intervene, which looks increasingly likely.
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Suppliers & SCMAssurant tools up for T-Mobile in store repair deal
Assurant recruits 2,000 technicians and managers to lead same-day repairs service at T-Mobile stores. Contract comes with substantial investment requirements, but upsides anticipated in the coming year. Sprint migration also completed.
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Suppliers & SCMBT hives off logistics to ‘simplify’ supply chain
Expanded partnership with GXO Logistics sees warehousing and transport requirements handed over, along with 300 BT employees. Procurement chief Cyril Pourrat deems it a milestone in Group simplification programme. Unions typically concerned.
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PremiumBT people moves: BT Federal fills out
Mike Barthlow appointed CEO at BT’s US public sector division, with senior reports changed in parallel. BT’s healthcare focus tightened with a new HealthTech Incubator under Harmeen Mehta’s Digital domain and strategic health programme lead named at Enterprise. Openreach Service Delivery changes as Olly Kunc ships out.
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Suppliers & SCMChipset shortages delay Openreach provisioning
Ongoing chipset shortages lead to Ethernet product delays at Openreach, adding to problems flagged last year. Semiconductor supply and demand imbalance set to last at least another twelve months. Supply chain problems a recurring theme at BT, too.
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Network & InfrastructureVodafone Portugal suffers “terrorist” cyberattack
Mário Vaz, Vodafone Portugal CEO, says recovering from “terrorist” incident will be a “lengthy” job. Data, SMS, voice, and TV services impacted, with emergency services forced onto contingency connectivity plans.
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Strategy & ChangeDT, Vodafone climate plans get mixed reviews
Industry analysis gives DT and Vodafone good marks for “deep decarbonisation” plans, especially when stacked up against some of the world’s largest companies. Praised for headline pledges and transparent emissions reporting, but require work to improve their chances of reaching those commitments. Renewable energy sourcing and indirect, Scope 3 ...
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PeopleEx-Telekom Deutschland CEO takes chair at altnet
Niek Jan van Damme appointed Chairman at NGN Fiber Network to support expansion ambitions under Eurofiber partnership. van Damme the second ex-Deutsche Telekom name to join the altnet this year.
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PeopleVodacom payment specialist XLink appoints MD
Majority-owned secure payments processor XLink Communications appoints Thanusha Govender with a ‘stay-the-course’ mandate. Former Absa strategy lead replaces stalwart Marnewick.
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PremiumUK operators action inflation-linked pricing
BT, EE join fellow operators in price hike announcements as UK inflation pushes broadband and mobile prices up nearly 10%. Consumer challenges affecting MNOs too, say MNOs. Brexit impact also felt for roamers.