All articles by Michelle Donegan – Page 18
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Premium
H1 FY21–22: Legacy still a drag on BT Enterprise
Legacy declines continued to outpace new service and digital growth, while mobile wholesale losses dimmed Q2 performance. EBITDA performance buoyed by lower costs. Jansen remains confident in Enterprise’s ability to grow again as CEO Rob Shuter’s organisational changes and new operating model take shape.
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Public Affairs
Altnets gird for legal battle over Openreach FTTP pricing — report
CityFibre said to be heading up legal challenge to Ofcom’s Equinox decision. Rural fibre builder Gigaclear among altnets joining forces to fight back against Openreach’s lower FTTP pricing structure.
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Venturing & Investments
Höttges: “All options open” for BT stake
Patrick Drahi free to make bigger move on BT from 11 December. French billionaire is planning to increase BT stake, reports Reuters. Sources say any move likely to involve DT. Höttges keeps cards close to chest.
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Premium
More 3G networks head for retirement in Europe
NatCos in Hungary and Poland announce 3G switch-off plans. T-Mobile Poland reuses spectrum to add capacity to 4G and 5G services.
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Public Affairs
UK 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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Public Affairs
Vodafone 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 & Alliances
Vodafone Oman opens new HQ
Partner Markets’ greenfield operator expected to launch services “very soon”. Taps Ericsson for network and Netcracker for BSS.
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Premium
BT helps Ericsson shrink massive MIMO radios
Operator and supplier team up on product development. Lighter weight and easier to handle means faster urban 5G deployment.
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Strategy & Change
Vodafone Spain CEO talks up transformation
Vodafone hones in-house IT skills and organises into squads. Share progress on building up platforms and scale. As transformation continues at pace, Vodafone Spain downsizes.
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Strategy & Change
Jansen battle-ready as competition grows on two fronts
BT CEO returns to pre-pandemic promises of a more robust defence of BT’s market position, on price if necessary. Speculation on heightened wholesale competition comes as Openreach Equinox fibre pricing looks set to reinforce the Group’s strong position. Retail threats may be more pressing for the incumbent as Sky ...
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Strategy & Change
Deutsche Telekom’s OneApp to launch in Germany
Germany will be tenth market to deploy the self-service customer care app. OneApp is key product in the Group’s IT harmonisation programme.
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Public Affairs
T-Mobile Czech Republic, O2 seek end to antitrust case
Operators offer concessions to settle EC probe of mobile network-sharing arrangements and avoid fines. The national regulator plans to step in and set mobile wholesale prices. Separately, TMCZ fights the regulator’s order to lower its wholesale prices.
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Strategy & Change
OVHcloud IPO to fuel Europe’s “cloud champion”
T-Systems’ Gaia-X partner to go public this week. European cloud provider plans to take on US tech giants with data sovereignty credentials. Growth plans include bulking up through acquisitions.
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Profile
CEO 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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Partnerships & Alliances
Vodacom’s Super App cushioned if “politics” plays up
Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub says operator’s VodaPay Super App smarts are protected if political changes affect Alipay. Alipay technology underpins Vodacom’s financial services growth plans. Super App set for commercial launch in South Africa this month.
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Public Affairs
Openreach 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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Network & Infrastructure
Nokia resumes O-RAN Alliance activity
Group revises procedures to alleviate concerns over US export rules. Deutsche Telekom is “fully committed” to the Alliance. USA considering clarifications for standards organisations.
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Premium
Altnets object to Openreach FTTP price proposal
Regulatory spat over wholesale FTTP pricing spills out into the open. Openreach says new prices offer certainty and encourage FTTP take-up. Fibre rivals claim the cheaper wholesale pricing scheme will reduce infrastructure competition and deter investment. Ofcom provisionally says no action needed, but final decision is expected by the ...
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Premium
TEAC UK edge startup Ori adds KX analytics
Speedy analytics and edge compute platform for enterprises. Another step in BT’s private edge network ambitions.
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Innovation (R&D)
DT: Open RAN not there yet, but developing fast
Deutsche Telekom’s view on open RAN state of play. Mixed bag: encouraging pace of development, but complexity reigns. Programmability capability is two to three years away. “Must have” automation needed to tackle integration challenge.