Latest Headlines
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PeopleColao in running to be Italy’s next PM
Former Vodafone CEO seen as potential replacement for Mario Draghi. Process to elect new Italian president reaches fourth round of voting.
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Partnerships & Alliances
EWE ‘committed’ to Telekom Deutschland fibre JV
‘Complaint of non-admission’ submitted to Federal Court of Justice after it revoked approval of TDE-EFE joint venture late last year. Glasfaser Nordwest was deemed “illegal” following controversial 2019 launch
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Public Affairs
Telefónica handed EC fine for Brazilian non‑compete deal
Decade‑long proceedings close with Telefónica — along with Pharol — ordered to hand over €79m for antitrust breach. European Commission findings upheld despite yo‑yoing, with final charge held for Telefónica and down slightly for Pharol.
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Venturing & Investments
Safaricom energy ally Circle Gas lands big Japanese backer
Deal with conglomerate Marubeni Corporation comes with prepaid LPG startup planning to expand beyond Safaricom-supported deployment in Kenya and into new markets in Africa and Asia.
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Public Affairs
Cellnex offers CMA deal to secure Hutchison UK tower merger
Spanish InfraCo willing to sell enough sites from its existing estate to enable a new UK tower player to emerge, and overcome CMA concerns on competition linked to its planned CKH infrastructure acquisition. Four companies have already stepped forward as potential buyers. CTIL objects to being positioned as a ...
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Operations
Staff prepare for exit as Telefónica redundancies tallied
Cost to the operator now said to be around €1.4bn. Number of applicants still not final as requests need to be approved.
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Network & Infrastructure
Submarine cable vulnerabilities surface
Malicious threats loom, but accidental damage more common. Russian aggression, underwater volcanoes, fishing and anchoring roil subsea cable networks. Difficult to prevent damage, resiliency is best protection.
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Partnerships & Alliances
Vodafone names partners for speech‑based AI bot
TPG Telecom ties with Genesys and Google Cloud to launch an “upgrade” to Vodafone’s TOBi chatbot. Natural language processing integration set to improve voice channel triaging, with sales role touted in a future deployment.
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Financial & Performance
Vi reports further losses as government takeover looms
Net loss grows 60% year-on-year, with revenue down 10.7%. Earnings report comes amid expectation that Indian government will take majority stake in struggling JV. Absence of annual profit since launch of Reliance Jio in 2016.
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M&A
Vodafone under M&A spotlight in Italy, UK
Group reportedly in consolidation talks with Iliad in Italy. A potential merger with Three UK was also apparently explored. Vodafone keeps head down as rumours swirl. Read keen advocate of European in‑market consolidation.
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Operations
BT considers use of AI to expose vendor malpractice
Operator considering application of video analytics software from partner Vyntelligence to identify “incorrect behaviours” in supplier plants. Idea reflective of operators’ concerns over hidden ESG and security nasties in their vast international supply chains.
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People
Latest Deutsche Telekom people moves: senior Technology & Innovation changes
Changes in AI, network automation, and R&D leadership to bring in the new year, with a fresh CTO to boot. Leroy’s Europe domain draws regional talent for new commercial team, while SoHo and SME segments get attention in central and Eastern outposts. T‑Systems’ Posset confirms Poland and Romania as ...
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Operations
Strategic rise of procurement redefines role of the CPO
Complex ecosystems, new technology, sustainability ambitions, and supply chain risk mitigation are driving change in the procurement function. BT Sourced and Vodafone Procurement Company weigh in on how their procurement lives are transforming. Chief procurement officers need new leadership skills to succeed, says study. Ideal procurement professionals are like ...
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Strategy & Change
Telefónica e‑learning unit rehoused to target enterprise
Telefónica Educación Digital moves under Group’s Filiales unit, alongside the likes of the Prosegur Alarmas JV and retail manager Telyco. Reorganisation said to benefit business’s enterprise ambitions. Digital education solutions and services cropping up across Telefónica’s Spanish operation.
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Operations
T-Systems resets India expansion target to support savings push
DT’s enterprise division re-commits to plan to hire thousands of new tech staff. Local digital boss Anant Padmanabhan promoted to lead services unit T‑Systems ICT India. India back in vogue for DT’s management as it seeks fresh talent for digital transformation.
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Network & Infrastructure
Telefónica España shifts data analytics to cloud with Teradata-Google
Teradata’s Vantage said to have offered “fastest and lowest-risk” cloud analytics migration project. Extends long-term Teradata relationship to migrate from on-premise. Taps into Group’s Google Cloud data lake.
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Products & Services
BT, VMware target modern network and security challenges
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), delivered as a BT-managed service, supports the adoption of “the latest technologies and workstyles” Latest in a string of collaborations between BT and VMware following long-term SD-WAN partnership.
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People
Latest Vodafone people moves: IoT.nxt strengthens US outpost
Vodacom’s IoT specialist IoT.nxt built up its USA play with Trevor DeLew named SVP, Sales. Vodacom Mozambique names a new CEO. Vodafone Spain shuffles strategy and sales directorships. Floundering Vi makes yet more changes to its enterprise unit as Arvind Nevatia forms his team.
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Public Affairs
DCMS told to get a grip on Project Gigabit
“Disappointed” accounts committee frustrated by lack of measurable progress and clear plans for reaching 2025 target of 85% ultrafast coverage. Department blasted for lack of meaningful legislation on removal of barriers to deployment. DCMS still seeking clarity from operators on national rollout plans.
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Operations
Safaricom Ethiopia splashes out $100m on first data centre
Located in capital city Addis Ababa, the installation accounts for one third of a total $300m investment pegged for first year of operations. Data centre, which will house “core network infrastructure”, was built in China and transported to Ethiopia. Rabacal indicates the same business model will be used for ...
