All Network & Infrastructure articles
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PeopleVantage Towers CEO says he’s no Vodafone lackey
Vivek Badrinath emphasises operational and strategic independence from Vodafone. CEO claims Europe is 20 years behind the USA in commercialisation of towers. Newspaper interview used to defend upcoming listing on Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
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Network & Infrastructure
T-Mobile US goes Nordic (again) for 5G expansion
Longstanding partners Ericsson and Nokia sign “ multi-billion-dollar agreements ”. Operator makes concerted 5G push at 2.5GHz to complement 600MHz rollout. Nordic duo also tasked with providing “ advanced technical capabilities ”, including voice over NR, NR carrier aggregation, network slicing, and multi-user massive MIMO.
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Network & Infrastructure
Deutsche Telekom’s four-play makes an impression
Operator’s long-planned Access 4.0 platform goes into operation in Germany, on schedule — but with a small footprint and plenty of work to do to realise Group’s full ambitions for softwarised system.
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Network & Infrastructure
BT clocks onto quantum timing tech
EU-funded consortium hoping to accelerate commercialisation of quantum‑enabled clocks. Further expansion to the Group’s ecosystem of quantum partners.
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M&A
Telefónica sells infra biz to American Tower
Telxius finds a home at US infrastructure giant. Transaction expected to wipe €4.6bn off Telefónica net debt.
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Network & Infrastructure
T-Mobile US looks to top up kitty amid C-Band feeding frenzy
Operator issues three tranches of Senior Notes . Says C-Band auction “ may ” have something to do with it, as bidding reaches an eye-watering $80.7bn.
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Network & Infrastructure
Openreach requests COVID vaccine relief
Direct talks between Openreach and government officials confirmed. COVID‑19 surge halts operations. Openreach seeks to highlight public importance of connectivity.
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Network & Infrastructure
Vodafone bulks up Vantage Towers with Cornerstone
Vodafone UK and Telefónica UK give each other freedom to “ commercialise ” their 50% stakes in Cornerstone JV. Transfer of Vodafone’s shareholding to Vantage Towers to take place within weeks. Important (and long-awaited) addition to Vodafone’s European TowerCo ahead of upcoming IPO.
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People
BT’s Ainley takes Ericsson UK&I top‑spot
Former Ventures MD Katherine Ainley will be CEO for the vendor’s UK and Ireland operations from February. BT Ventures dismantlement nears completion. Ainley to lead Ericsson through key 5G rollouts.
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M&A
Telefónica seeks suitor with Chile exit in pipeline
Speculative report suggests Group is ready to relinquish interest in a key pillar of its Hispam unit as monetisation plans evolve. Liberty flagged as front runner, although may face regulatory challenges, and other runners and riders not ruled out.
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Network & Infrastructure
Glasfaser Nordwest brings fibre build in‑house
Deutsche Telekom‑EWE joint venture launches Glasfaser Nordwest Connect subsidiary to complete the last metres of FTTH builds. Brings formerly outsourced operations in‑house, leaving the bulk of the work to “ expansion partners ”. FTTH network nearing launch in select areas.
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Network & Infrastructure
BT Labs leans on AI/ML for RAN revamp
Targets transformation in design and operation of 5G RAN architectures. Envisages shift from cellular-centric to user-centric networks. Aim not simply to reduce costs and handle more traffic, but to unlock new revenue streams through service differentiation.
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Network & Infrastructure
Australia’s mobile network operators pitch for 5G funding
TPG, Telstra, and Optus angle for lion’s share of spoils from the government’s Australian 5G Innovation Initiative . They caution against allocating funds to niche 5G projects and players, arguing it will produce poor returns on taxpayers’ money. Trio advocates MNO-led partnerships as best-suited applicants.
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Network & Infrastructure
Safaricom puts 5G on ice
Kenyan operator plans to focus on building its 4G business for now. Safaricom’s previous reliance on Huawei comes under spotlight amid ongoing US trade talks.
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Partnerships & Alliances
Deutsche Telekom gets wind of energy startup MOWEA
DT taps MOWEA to help meet renewable energy ambitions and challenges of getting power to 5G sites. MOWEA previously tied with Vodafone Germany.
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Partnerships & Alliances
T‑Mobile CZ makes convergence push with CETIN tie‑up
NatCo ramps up FTTH rollout with infrastructure-build tie-up. Another convergence add‑on for mobile-centric operator.
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People
Openreach seeks people power to fuel full‑fibre
BT infrastructure division announces 5,300 new jobs for 2021, although 2,800 of them will be created within subcontractors. Capacity needed to increase weekly rate of full-fibre premises passed from 40,000 to 50,000.
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Network & Infrastructure
Höttges in town as Cosmote switches on 5G
Greek operator launches the country’s first commercial 5G network in partnership with Ericsson. Höttges points to future investment, with Greece of “ strategic importance ” as a tech hub.
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Suppliers & SCM
Deutsche Telekom plans early‑2021 IoT Hub launch
Open IoT Hub platform architecture is ready for lift-off in Q1 2021. Launch marks new phase in DT IoT growth strategy. DT IoT wants to work with more ecosystem partners in IoT Hub .
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Network & Infrastructure
Greek 5G auction exceeds targets, builds innovation kitty
Vodafone Greece leads the pack in terms of spend. Portion of proceeds earmarked for state‑backed startup investment beginning in 2021.
