All Mike Fries articles
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Deep DiveLegendary corporate raider reveals 3% Vodafone stake
Deep Dive: Following Liberty Global’s sharp exit, billionaire Martin Ebner has emerged as a prominent shareholder. The investor, known for forcing major change at Swiss firms, is now fourth on the shareholder roster, leaving the market to ponder the activist’s next move.
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Analyst BriefingsVodafonewatch Analyst Briefing: Vodafone knocked back as rivals surge
Latest from Vodafone as a turbulent quarter sees BT claim the UK’s top telco spot, Liberty Global exits stage left, and German fibre JV OXG pushes forward with another wholesale tie-up…
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Strategy & ChangeLiberty CEO: Vodafone stake sell-off is not a judgement on telco’s strategy
Mike Fries says decision to sell a 5% Vodafone Group stake should not be seen as a reflection of the UK operator’s strategy, but purely a rotation of Liberty capital…
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M&ALiberty Blume ignites M&A growth plan with insurance buy
Following an agreement to acquire PHL Insurance Brokers, Liberty Global’s business services spin-up is on the lookout for further strategic M&A or partnerships to grow into a $1bn business.
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Strategy & ChangeVM O2 in spotlight as Telefónica confirms NetCo plan scrapped
Telefónica boss says plan to spin out VM O2 network operation is permanently off the table, with the Group’s strategic review prompting the operator to renounce the NetCo-ServCo split model…
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Financial & PerformanceCityFibre secures £2.3bn war chest to lead UK altnet scaleup round
UK’s largest altnet finalises funding aimed at accelerating operations and driving fibreco consolidation. The question now is ‘what next for Virgin Media O2, its mothballed NetCo spinout, and nexfibre sidecar?’. Read more…
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Network & InfraVodafoneZiggo picks Teleste to support bet on next-gen DOCSIS
VodafoneZiggo partners with Teleste for a nationwide 1.8GHz upgrade, advancing its DOCSIS-led broadband future…
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Analyst BriefingsEMEA Infrawatch Analyst Briefing: AI factories in the pipeline; sovereign satellite race rolls on
Latest in EMEA digital infra: AST SpaceMobile, Eutelsat progress European sovereign satellite plans; Spain becomes latest EU country to submit AI Gigafactory bid; Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries updates on infra rejigs…
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Analyst BriefingsVodafonewatch Weekly: UK merger complete, hard work begins now
Latest from Vodafone as VodafoneThree strategy laid out; Commscope named VodafoneZiggo’s DOCSIS upgrade vendor; group appoints CFO Luka Mucic replacement; Procure & Connect breaks ground at Luxembourg logistics hub…
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Analyst BriefingsUK Infrawatch Analyst Briefing: NVIDIA swoops; BDUK target stretches; altnet ownership wobbles
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK, including: AI’s role in future connectivity, UK and local government investment plans; altnet acquisition rumours; people moves, and plenty more…
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Partnerships & AlliancesTelenet and Proximus near fibre sharing tie-up
Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries says major Belgian telcos are nearing completion on a deal covering fibre build-out and infra-sharing. Discussions mark the latest move in Belgian fibre asset reshaping, as operators seek to give a sorely needed boost to country’s FTTP build-out while stretching out scarce capital.
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Network & InfraLiberty and Vodafone ‘aligned’ on Dutch towers sale — Fries
Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries suggests a sale of VodafoneZiggo’s tower assets is moving forward, with an appointment made to lead the process and co-parent Vodafone onboard.
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M&AVirgin Media O2 still eyeing altnet buys despite pressing pause on NetCo plan
Virgin Media O2 remains hungry for fibre altnet M&A while its NetCo sale plans are put on ice and its own fibre build rate cools off this year.
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Analyst BriefingsVodafonewatch Weekly: Dutch JV sets out ‘plan to win’
The latest from Vodafone and its interests, including VodafoneZiggo CEO van Rooyen’s strategic reset as it seeks to regain form in the Dutch market; Safaricom’s preparation for a cloud infra overhaul; a surprise change in Group CFO; and more IoT deals for Vodafone Business…
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Network & InfraVodafoneZiggo says ‘no’ to Dutch fibre, goes ‘all in’ on DOCSIS
Q1 FY25: With move to new strategic plan, Vodafone–Liberty Global joint venture commits to DOCSIS 4.0 upgrade over the next few years, turning down full-fibre prospect but keeping the door open to FibreCo partnerships…
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Strategy & ChangeVM O2 slams brakes on NetCo fundraise amidst Telefónica strategy hiatus (nexfibre curtailed, too)
Plans to sell stake in NetCo spinout paused, as co-parent Liberty looks to “align” with partner Telefónica’s new management. nexfibre build also dramatically slowed to maintain “capital discipline” in UK’s “increasingly irrational” fibre market. Meanwhile, Netomnia raises new funds, ups target by another two millions homes…
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Analyst BriefingsVodafonewatch Weekly: Group rings changes in Luxembourg and HQ
Latest from Vodafone as Ninian Wilson takes charge of new Procure & Connect business; another boardroom rejig; news of change afoot in India; Dutch M&A on the cards; and a series of Business deals…
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Financial & PerformanceSpain and Brazil cement place in Telefónica core
Collectively, Telefónica’s core quad deliver on key Group ambitions in FY24, particularly around operating and capital efficiency.
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M&AVodafoneZiggo open to M&A as it edges into Dutch fibre space
Mike Fries, CEO of parent Liberty, indicates M&A may have a role to play as VodafoneZiggo strengthens its broadband infra platform.
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Analyst BriefingsVodafonewatch Weekly: positive moves for dealmaking Group
Latest from Vodafone as the Group faces the ups and downs of dealmaking; hype turns to more grounded optimism on small cells and 5G MPN solutions; several key changes to OpCo ExCos, and some new digs for former CEOs; more across the footprint…