Latest Telco Insight – Page 219
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M&ATelefónica’s El Salvador sale under review by regulator
$144m deal cannot go ahead without authorisation. SC has 90 business days to reach a decision.
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Financial & PerformanceHrvatski Telekom continues to eye regional M&A
Croatian operator sees an uptick in business during summer months, leading to raised forecasts. Management remains keen on building HT into a regional telco/IT business, saying dealmaking opportunities are being monitored.
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Products & ServicesGovernment considering BT’s emergency comms proposal
UK Home Office in discussions with BT over introduction of 888 emergency comms and tracking system. 888/Walk Me Home working titles for platform that could act as “deterrent to criminals”. £50m public funding required. Christmas 2021 launch possible.
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Public AffairsUK government defends Ethiopian mobile investment
Vodafone and CDC investment in Ethiopian mobile operator crops up in parliamentary debate on Tigray humanitarian crisis. Investment deemed to be “right” and long term. CDC emphasises role as impact investor with a lot of patience. Vodacom agrees to fund Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia.
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Network & Infra“A tremendous task ahead”: DT continues post-flood rebuild
All mobile network and 93% of fixed lines now recovered. 35,000 new fibre connections to be built in worst-hit areas.
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Network & InfraDeutsche Telekom’s Choi sees open RAN deployments from 2023
Group’s tech boss likens RAN disaggregation complexity to landing a space rocket booster. Delayed SD-RAN trial one of many remaining legs on “journey” towards open RAN maturity. DT acknowledges geopolitical challenges around O-RAN ecosystem. Call-to-action made on collaboration.
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Public AffairsVodafone pursues UK government over lost contract
Vodafone loses Foreign Office contract to Fujitsu, claims process breached procurement rules. Preliminary issue trial set for January 2022.
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Partnerships & AlliancesVodafone sees sales dip from international tie-ups
Revenue from Group’s Partner Markets federation falls back amid pandemic and footprint reduction. Vodafone’s flow of cash from Africa takes a drop following rework of M-PESA business.
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Strategy & ChangeElsewhere in T-Mobile US: body cams added to Connecting Heroes
TMUS adds body cam hardware to Connecting Heroes offering; Ultra-capacity 5G makes consumer debut.
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PremiumVodafone in the driving seat for 5G-powered mobility
Vodafone Germany flags a number of automotive use-cases for its 5G standalone technology in action. BMW, Porsche, and Sony on the automaker partnerships list. Second 5G test track activated.
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PremiumBT’s McRae flags benefits of Tarana’s FWA solution
McRae says customer trials have been encouraging so far. BT’s Allera and Watson tending to play down FWA’s role.
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Strategy & ChangeDT looking to Russia to crack digital code
Group moots coming expansion of its St. Petersburg software development facility by two-thirds. Hiring plan aimed at supporting key IT challenges such as fibre roll out planning and management, customer experience improvement, and open RAN deployment.
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Venturing & InvestmentsDT’s RAN buddy Cellwize gets HPE investment
Automated RAN platform provider and Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners’ investment Cellwize takes cash injection from Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Pathfinder venturing programme.
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Network & InfraStarlink a potential suitor in Vodafone’s 28GHz lease deal
Vodafone in conversation with satellite operators to lease 28GHz spectrum in the UK. Elon Musk’s Starlink touted as an option
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PremiumDT starts mobility-as-a-service ecosystem build
Telekom Mobility Solutions taps Siemens on mobility-as-a-service app development. Bonn deployment scheduled for mid-2022, with local DT employees getting first dibs. Wider German rollout expected to follow soon after, subject to platform popularity.
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Strategy & ChangeElsewhere in Telekom Deutschland: Microsoft’s Operator Connect launched
Group launches Microsoft’s Operator Connect service in Germany, as an exclusive offering (for now).
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Public AffairsVodafone called upon for German emergency alerts
Bundestag amends legislature to pave the way for Cell Broadcast SMS-based early-warning system. July floods expedite political process, with politicians now laying out technical specifications before MNOs get to work.
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Network & InfraT-Mobile locks horns with Dish on CDMA, 12GHz
NatCo begrudgingly extends 3G CDMA network shutdown by three months. Fires criticism at Dish for not taking “responsibility” for migrating customers. Decision comes amid growing tension with satellite TV provider over 12GHz spectrum.
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PremiumOracle wins new role in BT’s 5G network
US supplier to play role in 4G to 5G migration. Huawei woes could have played a role in Oracle’s selection.
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Partnerships & AlliancesBuyIn boasts transatlantic tech sourcing footprint
Purchasing JV indicates it is widening strategic sourcing scope in North American vendor ecosystem. Comments come with DT seeking to build closer strategic links with its American growth engine.