More Recent Insight – Page 269
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M&ARegulator approves Oi sale
Decision confirmed, subject to conditions, after Brazilian regulator Anatel postponed ruling last week. A board member had asked for additional time to review sale to a consortium featuring Telefónica|Vivo, Claro Brasil, and TIM Brasil. Final approval still required from competition authority CADE.
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Financial & PerformanceVodafone under pressure from activist investor to boost shareholder returns
Bloomberg reports Cevian Capital has built up stake in Vodafone. Unnamed sources say Swedish investment firm putting pressure on Read and management team to move more aggressively on M&A. Accuses Vodafone board of lacking experience and strategic know-how in telecoms. Vodafone share price gets bounce after news breaks of ...
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Suppliers & SCMBT partner Versed AI on swerving supply chain strife
With volatility biting businesses, University of Cambridge spinout attracts investment from range of backers with interests in sourcing sustainability and transparency, including fund linked to eBay creator Pierre Omidyar.
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Public AffairsSafaricom staff caught in police “trap” after data fraud
Court hearing details how two Safaricom employees were caught attempting to sell subscriber data. Operator commits to fraud reduction initiatives.
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Network & InfraVantage eyes €1bn EU fund for 5G roads and railways
TowerCo gets its motor running to head out on the 5G highway. Pursues EU-funded 5G Corridor projects. European Commission targets 5G coverage on all transport routes by 2025 and allocates €1bn for cross-border network projects.
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Strategy & ChangeVodafone Germany strategic shift forces exec changes
Dimitrova handed Strategy & Transformation remit, with Velthuis brought in to lead Finance. Exiting CTO Mack will not be replaced as OpCo mirrors Group’s split-structure TechCo vision. CEO Ametsreiter seeks transformation focus with fresh-faced executive team.
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Strategy & ChangeVodafone in the market for London real estate
Reports indicate desire for more office space in London alongside Paddington HQ. Growing software engineering team seemingly looking for desks, with Future Ready hybrid-working model rolling out in parallel.
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Products & ServicesDT closes cloud gaming play after less than two years
MagentaGaming closing due to poor take-up. Streaming partner RemoteMyApp acquired by Intel. Service was not available on Apple iOS mobile devices.
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Content & TVVodafoneZiggo, KPN vie for F1 pole position
Vodafone JV wheels out four-month discount for Viaplay, a streaming platform with F1 broadcasting rights. Rival KPN lifts flag on free twelve-month deal to entice new customers. F1 and ‘Max Verstappen factor’ seen as big lure for Dutch pay-TV subscribers.
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Venturing & InvestmentsDTCP kickstarts 2022 with data security investments
Data analytics platform Dremio and cybersecurity threat detector Hunters picked for cash injection. DT venturing vehicle makes inaugural investment in the two startups, adding to data-oriented interests.
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PeoplewatchColao in running to be Italy’s next PM
Former Vodafone CEO seen as potential replacement for Mario Draghi. Process to elect new Italian president reaches fourth round of voting.
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Partnerships & AlliancesEWE ‘committed’ to Telekom Deutschland fibre JV
‘Complaint of non-admission’ submitted to Federal Court of Justice after it revoked approval of TDE-EFE joint venture late last year. Glasfaser Nordwest was deemed “illegal” following controversial 2019 launch
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Public AffairsTelefónica handed EC fine for Brazilian non-compete deal
Decade-long proceedings close with Telefónica — along with Pharol — ordered to hand over €79m for antitrust breach. European Commission findings upheld despite yo-yoing, with final charge held for Telefónica and down slightly for Pharol.
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Venturing & InvestmentsSafaricom energy ally Circle Gas lands big Japanese backer
Deal with conglomerate Marubeni Corporation comes with prepaid LPG startup planning to expand beyond Safaricom-supported deployment in Kenya and into new markets in Africa and Asia.
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Public AffairsCellnex offers CMA deal to secure Hutchison UK tower merger
Spanish InfraCo willing to sell enough sites from its existing estate to enable a new UK tower player to emerge, and overcome CMA concerns on competition linked to its planned CKH infrastructure acquisition. Four companies have already stepped forward as potential buyers. CTIL objects to being positioned as a ...
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OperationsStaff start exit as Telefónica redundancies tallied
More than 2,000 applications come in for early retirement. Operator rejected 105 requests
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Network & InfraSubmarine cable vulnerabilities surface
Malicious threats loom, but accidental damage more common. Russian aggression, underwater volcanoes, fishing and anchoring roil subsea cable networks. Difficult to prevent damage, resiliency is best protection.
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Partnerships & AlliancesGenesys partnered for speech-based AI bot
TPG ties with Genesys and Google Cloud to launch an “upgrade” to its Vodafone TOBi chatbot. NLP integration set to improve voice channel triaging, with sales role touted in a future deployment.
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Financial & PerformanceVi reports further losses as government takeover looms
Net loss grows 60% year-on-year, with revenue down 10.7%. Earnings report comes amid expectation that Indian government will take majority stake in struggling JV. Absence of annual profit since launch of Reliance Jio in 2016.
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M&AVodafone under M&A spotlight in Italy, UK
Group reportedly in consolidation talks with Iliad in Italy. A potential merger with Three UK was also apparently explored. Vodafone keeps head down as rumours swirl. Read keen advocate of European in-market consolidation.