All articles by Neal Doran
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InterviewVoneus ‘plays chicken’ with banks and secures new funding
INCA Summit 2025: Macquarie and Voneus director Oliver Bradley indicates terms were renegotiated on Voneus’s existing £70m debt facility, and stakeholders injected further funds to secure the altnet’s future.
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Partnerships & AlliancesLifecycle Software pulls up on Tomorrow Street
Billing solutions provider with an MVNO focus the latest name to join the Vodafone‑backed incubator’s Scaleup X programme.
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PeopleBT’s Watson to retire, McCall steps up
Greg McCall stepping up to lead networks and security into the age of data and AI, closing out safe-pair-of-hands Howard Watson’s decade of digitalisation, fibre, 5G and cloud modernisation.
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Analyst BriefingsUK Infrawatch analyst briefing: write-down worries, results revelations, Openreach outrage
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK, including: altnet debt reality bites, rivals sideswiped by Openreach discounts, CityFibre contract gains, and plenty more…
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Analyst BriefingsUK Infrawatch analyst briefing: altnets assemble, convergence interest swells, finances reinforced
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK, including: Chelot’s altnet future vision, Gamma on FMC opportunities, Project Gigabit funding updates, and plenty more…
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Network & InfraExtra millions flow to UK fibrecos as Project Gigabit contracts updated
CityFibre once again sees a boost to a Project Gigabit contract value as Leicestershire & Warwickshire deal is updated and geographically expanded, becoming the latest fibreco to benefit from Project Gigabit perimeter adjustments…
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PeopleDT IoT chief reemerges to lead Vodafone US drive
Six months after leaving the German operator’s IoT operation Dennis Nikles is joining Vodafone IoT as MD for the Americas.
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Strategy & ChangeGrain skewers wholesale model as altnets ponder consolidation
At Connected Britain the UK’s largest fibre platforms called on investors and smaller players to accept the inevitability of consolidation. Niche challenger Grain rebutted the assumption that scale is now critical, and instead called into question the foundations of current wholesale‑led models.
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Partnerships & AlliancesGamma’s Mike Mills: why UK altnet-MVNO convergence is happening now
For UK fibre players, adding mobile services is becoming a compelling route to maximising ARPU and customer value. Enabler Gamma debunks misconceptions, arguing that the MVNO model can unlock significant returns with fast market entry, while eSIM also rewrites the rules. Learn more…
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Financial & PerformanceFibrus focuses on journey towards breakeven as revenue and EBITDA grow
In conversation: Fibrus CFO talks virtues of the altnet’s integrated business model as it reports steadily rising earnings and nears positive cash flow. Fibre ARPU ‘walk-up’ ongoing, but potential bolt-ons are under consideration…
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Analyst BriefingsUK Infrawatch Analyst Briefing: Zen means business, Ofcom unleashes spectrum, Mesch moves up
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK, including: Ofcom’s advances on satcomms and mmWave, UK plans to address AI energy demand, arrivals at Zen and big moves at CityFibre, and plenty more…
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Network & InfraUK AI council looks north as energy demand set to soar — but connectivity an afterthought
Initial meetings of the government’s AI Energy Council see predictions of surging energy demand and challenges in ensuring existing infrastructure is up to the job, but connectivity requirements appear sidelined with fibre operators asbent…
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TechnologyCase study: Vodafone seeing tangible AI success in the field
Vodafone and Celfocus unveiled early but striking results in embedding AI into field operations — cutting repeat visits and harmonising quality — to both accelerate the operator’s zero-touch ambitions and sharpen customer focus.
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Analyst BriefingsUK Infrawatch analyst briefing: Netomnia evolution, data centre planning pushback
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK, including: GoFibre and Netomnia funding success, planning ups and downs for data centres, TalkTalk travails; people moves, and plenty more…
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InterviewvHive CEO interview: digital twins now ‘single source of truth’ for MNO infra
Mobile operators “don’t want data, they want insights”, says Yariv Geller. Wide-ranging conversation explores maturation of digital twin tech for infra asset management, its role as ‘single source of truth’, and how it’s becoming invaluable for network optimisation and towerco M&A due diligence.
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Financial & PerformanceTPG: Vodafone up for £360m windfall as Oz outpost splashes the cash
Following the multi-billion-dollar sale of its fixed assets, TPG Telecom is initiating a major capital return. The “novel and complex” AUD 3bn plan is designed to reward major shareholders while courting minority investors and improving the telco’s stock exchange and credit profile. It also boasted a cracking H1…
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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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Financial & PerformanceVi shares plummet: no further state support for Vodafone’s India affiliate
With share price diving after government indicated no further state help, at least on current basis, beleaguered Vi under renewed pressure to secure future and fund critical 5G rollout…
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Analyst BriefingsUK Infrawatch analyst briefing: CityFibre upgrade plans, Netomnia wholesale goals, datacentre net zero gains
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK, including: government support for digitalisation sustainability, CityFibre tackling technology integration, a new UK wholesale platform; a flurry of new senior appointments, and plenty more…
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Network & InfraThe single source of truth: how TowerCos and MNOs are mastering digital twins
From accelerating M&A due diligence to slashing truck rolls and ensuring revenue, digital twins are reshaping MNO and TowerCo operations. At different stages of adoption, but as one on importance of getting the data right, leaders from BT, TDF, PTI and vHive reveal how this technology is creating the digital truth for physical assets, how this can be advantaged, and what’s next…