Latest UK News – Page 73
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Strategy & ChangeElsewhere in Openreach: outage disrupts ISP sales
Systems outage disrupts ISP sales functions; Openreach pilots Dutch Witch drills; new engineer training centre opens in Wales.
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PremiumBT people moves: BT Digital firms up Consumer and Operations leadership
Thomas Duecke pivots from Global and Kevin Lee moves from eBay to join BT Digital’s top-table. BT Sourced lures Fulden Sener to new Dublin offices, while Carmel McInally’s exit leaves a vacant IT Procurement post. Enterprise finance leadership changes.
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Partnerships & AlliancesGreggs keeps good times rolling with VM O2 partnership
Virgin Media O2–Greggs alliance working “well for both brands”, as telco adds element of differentiation to customer loyalty programme.
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PremiumElsewhere in BT Group: emission targets brought forward
Net-zero targets brought forward by fifteen years ahead of COP26; warnings against competitor tower deal.
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PeopleOpenreach names new fibre delivery guy
Change at top of Fibre & Network Delivery unit as Matthew Hemmings comes in for Kevin Murphy. Internal hire sees Hemmings take lead of team focused on expanding Openreach’s UK-wide fibre network.
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PremiumNEC solidifies SI position in Telefónica’s open RAN push
Japan-based vendor to coordinate live trials in four key markets. German open RAN trial seen as springboard for NEC’s leap into wider Group sphere.
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ProfileCEO Lutz Schüler relishes challenger role at VM O2
After Virgin Media O2’s first 100 days, Schüler is raring to go head-to-head with BT on full fibre, wholesale, and B2B. Reportedly in talks with Sky on fibre investment. Determined merger integration won’t slow VM O2 down. Big believer in “data and digital” for delivering what customers want; hints ...
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Network & InfrastructureBT says awareness of 2025 PSTN shutdown not high enough
Senior BT Enterprise exec highlights lack of forward all-IP planning among some critical national infrastructure organisations. Encourages all CPs to put CNI at the heart of their transformation programmes. Advocates a government-led campaign to raise PSTN shutdown awareness. Industry still grappling with how best to provide power backup and ...
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Venturing & InvestmentsTelefónica Innovation & Venturing Roundup: Open Future seeks disruptive startups
Advisory group Mountside helping Wayra ensure businesses are “investor-ready”; Open Future seeks new generation of disruptive startups; regional Wayra hubs enter partnerships.
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Public AffairsOpenreach gets Ofcom green light for new FTTP pricing
Cheaper “Equinox” wholesale pricing offer to start on 1 October. Ofcom confirms no action needed on Openreach offer. Fibre altnets strongly opposed and considering next steps.
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OperationsOpenreach’s Selley slams “shambles” of UK EV charging market
UK’s second-biggest van owner buying electric vehicles from Spain because of lack of domestic commercial electric van manufacturing. Openreach CEO bemoans thin and unreliable charging network; says UK “behind game”. Just 600 of Openreach’s 28,000 commercial vans currently electric. CEO regards hydrogen as likely candidate for heavy vehicles.
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Strategy & ChangeBT establishes new digital health unit
Group recruiting for newly formed Digital Healthcare division. Unit to develop e-health startup ecosystem, with provision of path-to-market options. ‘BT Incubation’ revealed as working title for broader tech accelerator branch.
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PremiumTelefónica people moves: Tech begins integrating Cancom cloud acquisition
Telefónica Tech replaces Cancom UK&I board members with Group executives, following buyout. Vivo names Rocha de Matos and Simões network planning and IT directors, respectively. Former O2 UK executive Stansfeld joins fixed broadband player Quickline.
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PeopleSwantee ends fleeting spell on Vodafone board
As-yet-unrevealed clash of interests prompts former EE CEO to leave Group after less than two months. Move comes amid M&A action in both UK and Netherlands.
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PremiumVodafone people moves: Ethiopia hierarchy laid out
Inaugural leadership team named at Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia, with remaining executives reported in local press. Vodafone Ghana opens search for new CTO after incumbent exits for MTN. Further changes at Partner Markets after meld within Vodafone Business.
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Innovation (R&D)BT likes NANF hollow core fibre, but work still to do
Senior BT researchers optimistic about multiple use-cases for Lumenisity’s hollow fibre, but commercial timeframes unclear. “Reams and reams of data” still need to be pored over as part of due diligence process. BT confident, however, that Lumenisity has reached the point of producing “duct-deployable” HCF cable.
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M&ADAZN targets Premier League with BT Sport bid — reports
Reports indicate BT is in “advanced” stage talks with DAZN to offload BT Sport, with a deal mooted “within weeks”. Broadcasting rights the big-ticket item for US streaming specialist, while BT looks to focus efforts on network expansion.
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Network & InfrastructureBT’s Watson highlights fibre’s central place in network ‘jigsaw’
CTO plays down fixed wireless’s role in meeting UK’s connectivity challenge. CityFibre and Hyperoptic welcome Ofcom’s WFTMR, but want Openreach to remain under strict scrutiny. Virgin Media O2 something of an elephant in the room as altnets pitch themselves as more agile rivals.
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Products & ServicesVirgin Media O2 plans IPTV service launch
First streaming service offer targeted at young consumers. VM O2 sizes up aggregator opportunity.
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PremiumVodafone Group’s Dutch and British tower partners look to cash in
Liberty CFO says group “not in love with” tower ownership and keen to unlock value in Belgium, Netherlands, and UK. Telefónica hands Goldman Sachs reins to examine prospective Cornerstone share sale.