More on EMEA Telco Leaders – Page 8
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PeoplewatchVantage commercial chief Sonia Hernandez steps down
High-profile tower exec departs from Vantage “at her own request”, following six-year career of building her team from the ground up and driving expansion of European clientele. Exit comes as towerco continues to grapple with commercial pressures on multiple fronts, and after three CEO switch-outs in three years…
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PeoplewatchOrange’s AI chief Steve Jarrett makes switch to Anthropic
Jarrett joins US AI giant amid its wider push into Europe, leaving behind a legacy at Orange for successor Usman Javaid to run with.
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Network & InfraTelefónica ‘completes’ Spanish edge site rollout
Operator activates all 17 edge nodes envisaged under Edge Plan, with “modular platform” for businesses to access infrastructure and a range of other digital services. Rollout sees the Group seek to continue expanding B2B services portfolio to help achieve Transform & Grow targets…
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B2BVodafone chases defence opportunity with centralised German hub
European B2B chief Hagen Rickmann heads a move to consolidate and ‘bundle’ defence-related operations in Düsseldorf to target the sector “more strongly”, meet growing demand, and go head-to-head with rival telcos.
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Network & InfraVM O2 plans ‘extensive’ autonomous networks ramp-up
UK operator targets Level 4 network autonomy within a ‘couple of years’, with network planning and optimisation the key use-cases.
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Network & InfraAST SpaceMobile seeks to build launch ‘momentum’ after setbacks
Satellite operator to launch next BlueBird satellites in the first half of August as it seeks to bounce back from delays. Production ramp-up underway, launch partner locked in, and new manufacturing tie-up confirmed…
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Suppliers & SCMVodafone’s R&D chief urges infraco action as quantum threat presents ‘new normal’
DTW Ignite: Luke Ibbetson warns of post-quantum cryptography as a near-term priority for infracos, with a ground-up approach needed to ensure fixed, mobile, and satellite assets are protected…
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PeoplewatchOrange’s Javaid takes over as Group AI supremo
Steve Jarrett is vacating the Chief AI Officer role, although it’s not clear why, with Usman Javaid to fill the spot.
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Network & InfraOptimising Virgin Media O2 joins BT and VodafoneThree in laying down 2G switch-off schedule
Operator seeks to free up frequencies as 2G switch-off to begin in 2029. Spectrum to help VM O2 catch up with rivals on network capacity and strengthen 4G and 5G services. However, Ofcom notes “clear expectations” in place around support for 2G-reliant customers…
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Network & InfraO2 Germany taps Blue Planet’s AI agents to automate network slicing
Joint proof-of-concept showcases 5G network slicing in minutes, rather than weeks, as O2 deploys Blue Planet AI agents.
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Network & InfraVirgin Media O2 pivots telco cloud to Red Hat and Wind River
Virgin Media O2 is overhauling its telco cloud strategy, pivoting away from VMware to adopt a Kubernetes-based horizontal infrastructure with Red Hat and Wind River. With managing a multi-vendor telco cloud like “herding wildcats”, discover how the operator plans to manage its complex vendor ecosystem and drive true cloud-native transformation.
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Products & ServicesVodafone Spain builds out B2B services portfolio; expands into defence, energy
Telco launches revamped defence solutions portfolio and teams up with Iberdrola to jointly market energy and telecoms services. Moves come amidst wider expansion of B2B services, as rivals also move to expand in defence and security segments.
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Partnerships & AlliancesVodafoneThree extends CityFibre deal into the realm of backhaul
CityFibre takes on the role as preferred backhaul supplier at VodafoneThree mobile sites as part of renewed, “long-term” wholesale fibre deal. The arrangement builds on more than a decade of collaboration between the pair on fixed broadband.
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B2BVodafone, Ericsson set sights on military 5G SA use-cases after radio backhaul ‘breakthrough’
CCW 2026: Vodafone and Ericsson are advancing military-grade 5G capabilities to meet defence demands for isolated, interworking, and resilient networks that can operate beyond traditional infrastructure.
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Partnerships & AlliancesTCS ‘more than a systems integrator’ as Vantage completes AI-powered platform rollout
Tobias Steinig, Chief Digital Officer at Vantage Towers, says LIRA platform now live across ten-market footprint, aimed at simplifying landlord interactions to create operational efficiencies and accelerate go-to-market.
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Network & InfraThe quest for autonomy: how agentic AI can deliver real ROI — new report
Research provides telcos with a pathway to delivering real value from agentic AI, featuring Tier 1 use cases and recommendations to help bridge “the autonomy chasm” to reduce operating costs, improve service reliability, and increase network agility.
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Network & InfraBT maps strategic shift from GEO to LEO for rural backhaul
CCW 2026: Demand for low latency connectivity has prompted a shift to low-Earth orbit mega-constellations for ultra-rural mobile sites as BT’s priority LEO use-case. Consumer D2D services considered a future prospect, but mobile backhaul has a role now — and HAPS has re-entered the conversation too…
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OperationsVodafone infuses AI live translation into European call centres
Operator teams up with CAMB.AI to expand live translation software across European call centre footprint. The tie-up sees Vodafone continue to integrate AI systems within its call centres, aiming to accelerate complaint resolution and improve customer experience.
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Partnerships & AlliancesOrange ties with French energy agency on AI networking
Operator kicks off five-year ‘semantic communications’ project with French government agency aimed at improving network efficiency, slashing energy costs, and laying the groundwork for AI-native networks.
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Network & InfraUK ‘fortunate’ to have BT on board as mission critical comms project nears maturity
CCW 2026: Emergency Services Network (ESN) programme leadership talk up BT’s role in mission critical comms as the operator taps ‘shared benefits’, leans into commercial incentives and avoids ‘excessive’ legislation…