All Legal (compliance, regulatory) articles
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Public AffairsNI report criticises past public broadband projects
Audit Office report cannot verify that two broadband projects “ achieved value for money ”. High service take-up rates suggest not all public funding was needed. NI expected to claw back £14m of public funds from BT. Hopes for £165m Project Stratum to deliver better outcome ...
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Strategy & Change
Ethiopia: Kenyan president gets behind Safaricom entry
President Kenyatta urges Ethiopia to open up m‑money market. Safaricom reveals planned ownership structure of future Opco, with Vodafone set to play a very limited role.
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M&A
VM-O2 sets sights on BT as merger gets final clearance
CMA’s final approval should see deal completed by 1 June. Owners trumpeting investment opportunities with fibre InfraCo potential coming to the fore.
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Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in Vodafone Group: Legal advisory panel refresh; Adobe trumpets VPC ties
Vodafone cancels Arch Summit 2021; Group updates legal advice team; Adobe describes VPC ties as “ crucial ” .
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M&A
CADE makes Vivo wait for share of Oi’s mobile assets
Industry watchdog still inspecting ins and outs of Oi divestment. Closure now expected in early-2022. Consortium partners still confident of being granted go-ahead.
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Public Affairs
Sees.ai gets all-clear for BVLOS drone flights
VfUK drone partner achieves UK‑first permission. Tests to be carried out at three nominated sites. OpCo flags separate drone trial collaboration with Ericsson and Lidar tech for remote cell site inspections.
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Consumer (B2C)
Elsewhere in BT Consumer: planning law change welcomed
Pricing revelations bring negative publicity; EE way down in customer satisfaction survey; UK government works to facilitate network expansion.
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Network & Infrastructure
EE spins up spectrum to further 5G ambitions
New licences put to use minutes after being issued, in partnership with Nokia. BT pays an additional £23m after initial low‑ball auction, but Group still bagged “ an excellent price ”, says Consumer CEO Marc Allera. EE open to future spectrum trades as O2 and Vodafone sign ...
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Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in Telefónica Core Markets: E-Plus review closed
EC ends E‑Plus review; German 5G rollout builds; UK taskforce plans for supplier diversity.
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Public Affairs
BT “disappointed” as government tweaks voucher scheme
Government kicks off first phase of £1.2bn Project Gigabit . £210m for rural voucher scheme, but fewer communities are eligible; £110m for connecting rural doctors’ surgeries, libraries, and schools. DCMS Delivery Plan suggests considerable uncertainty on most effective way to target government spending.
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Public Affairs
Vodafone Germany braces for cable rule changes
New law could end bundling cable TV with housing association rental fees. VfD could lose two million subscribers, estimates Jefferies.
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M&A
CMA doubts bundle demand as it greenlights VM‑O2
Provisional clearance of merger based on limited ability of the partners to manipulate wholesale pricing and services in their favour. Creation of a new fixed‑mobile giant not expected to unleash a sudden surge towards single‑contract multi‑play bundles in the UK market.
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Public Affairs
Telefónica softens Millicom litigation demands
Millicom calls to dismiss legal case ruled out by Supreme Court. Telefónica dampens demands to instead seek damages. Litigation remains in motion.
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Public Affairs
Vodafone, Fastweb file lawsuits against TIM
Operators seek combined €1.1bn in damages, with incumbent accused of anti‑competitive behaviour. Complaints follow AGCM investigation. TIM preparing “ solid ” defence on all fronts, with prospective merger partner Open Fiber weighing in too.
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Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in T-Mobile US: Georgia partnership for 5G incubator
Jay‑Z reportedly buys back T‑Mobile US ’s stake in digital music player Tidal; T‑Mobile Accelerator in growth mode.
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Public Affairs
EC quietly drops Ziggo Sport probe
Antitrust investigation that sparked EC’s 2018 office raid closed down, with little revealed regarding what was behind it.
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People
BT Regulatory Affairs lead Cathryn Ross sets sail
Regulatory Affairs Director and Executive Committee member Ross’s departure announced a week after Ofcom market review job‑done. Set to take newly‑created Strategy Regulatory Affairs role at Thames Water.
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Network & Infrastructure
Germany into treble figures on 5G campus projects
Deutsche Telekom partners BMW and KUKA join list of organisations seeking to test out private nework use-cases. German regulator to publish details of 26GHz applicants from April at the earliest .
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Public Affairs
Telefónica sacks security execs in fraud probe: reports
ElevenPaths’ partner relationships under scrutiny as Group looks into dealings within managed security services unit. Report ties investigation with Govertis takeover in 2020, and senior executive reshuffle flagged in February.
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Public Affairs
Ofcom gives BT fibre pricing freedom, but adds burdens
Openreach not to face caps or controls on national ultrafast pricing until 2031, as long as it is “ fair and reasonable ”. Locally-targeted pricing from Openreach prohibited as Ofcom seeks to protect emerging altnets. BT Consumer may lose some edge from 90 day notice period ...
