All Olaf Swantee articles
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Financial & Performance
UK FibreCo Netomnia seeks positive EBITDA in 2025 after fundraise
Jeremy Chelot, CEO at UK fibre builder Netomnia, claims it is “poised” to achieve positive EBITDA in 2025, as well as to reach its end-of-year fibre rollout target of three million premises passed.
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: BT braced as network tech moves from hype to reality
Latest from BT as Harmeen Mehta joins BT partner Equinix; Group eyes network edge as the tech nears maturity; legal headaches continue as EE fights overcharging class action; UK fibre scene spotlighted as Openreach competition changes shape…
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M&A
FullFibre eyeing next M&A target as UK altnets enter ‘consolidation phase’
FTTH Conference 2025: FullFibre CEO James Warner teases more M&A to come as altnets prepare for ‘consolidation phase’, underpinned by regulatory certainty and investor confidence…
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: more B2B sell-off reports pose questions for future of Business
Latest from BT as B2B slim-down continues; minority owner DT sees emerging ‘options’ for 12% stake; and Openreach sets about Nokia Altiplano deployment…
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Public Affairs
Phones 4u: Antitrust “enforcer” CMA to weigh in on UK MNO collusion claims
For the first time ever, the Competition and Markets Authority is to intervene in an antitrust Court of Appeal hearing, homing in on alleged collusion between O2 UK and EE CEOs at 2012’s infamous Landmark Hotel meeting. It does not appear to be dwelling on 4G collusion or poor record-keeping smoking guns. Read more from TelcoTitans’ in-depth ongoing coverage…
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Public Affairs
Round 3: Phones 4u’s MNO collusion claims OK’d for appeal
EXCLUSIVE: Court of Appeal to reconsider initial judgment that cleared operators and then-parents. Questions may include whether more weight be given to findings that attempts were made to fix 4G pricing by O2 and Vodafone, that EE misled Ofcom, and that Ronan Dunne made an apparent admission of coordination between Telefónica and Vodafone. Deutsche Telekom and Orange still potentially on the hook as former EE owners, but extent of any direct impact still pending. Learn more…
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People
BT Consumer's Allera backs Kirkby after missing out on top job
Consumer CEO suggests he had plans to “do something really quite interesting” had he been picked for the Group’s top job, but backs Kirkby to bring telco nous to the role.
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Public Affairs
Phones 4u trial: UK MNOs cleared of collusion; appeal possible
Tough ruling for administrators who bet tens of millions on winning vast damages with collusion claim. O2, EE, Vodafone and then-parents Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom and Orange may have dodged biggest hits, but reputational damage could linger. Read more on ruling, backstory, next…
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People
Liv Garfield emerges as candidate for Vodafone top spot
Former Openreach executive is reportedly being considered to fill vacant CEO role following Nick Read’s departure.
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Premium
Spain relegated in latest Vodafone reorg
Troubled Spanish business loses direct CEO report and downshifts into Group’s Europe Cluster.
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Venturing & Investments
DT interest Community Fibre secures another billion in funding
FTTP altnet backed by BT shareholder gains cash for next rollout phase.
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Premium
Elsewhere in BT Group: Altice USA eyeing up Suddenlink
Altice seeking sale of US subsidiary to pay down debt and potentially up stake in BT; face‑off between Swantee and Dunne in Phones 4u High Court case.
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Public Affairs
Phones 4u claims telco “culture of impunity” as collusion trial begins
Phones 4u seeks to depict cavalier attitudes towards competition law among executives on the UK mobile scene as it attempts to prove operators colluded to cause its collapse.
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People
Vodafone chair’s board fix isn’t finished yet
van Boxmeer says “several” more changes likely at Vodafone’s top table, amid ongoing scrutiny into Group strategy.
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M&A
T-Mobile Netherlands sale finalised
Consortium WP/AP Telecom Holdings concludes long-awaited transaction. New owners keen on ‘business as usual’ approach, with eyes on continued growth. Deutsche Telekom expected to net about €3.8bn from sale.
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Financial & Performance
Vodafone 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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Premium
Vodafone people moves: leads named at scale up and engineering units
New unit established to draw together hunt and nurture unicorn startups, with Bento at the helm, while a unified European software engineering team installs Connelly at the top. Vacant Vodafone IoT Technology leadership filled by pair of promotions, with IoT solutions development also in the crosshairs elsewhere in the ...
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People
Swantee ends fleeting spell on Vodafone board
As-yet-unrevealed clash of interests prompts former EE CEO to leave Group after less than two months. Move comes amid M&A action in both UK and Netherlands.
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Public Affairs
Four years later, O2 UK bribery probe hits headlines
Sunday Telegraph report highlights an investigation into alleged corruption among O2 UK management. Claims appear linked to alleged abuse of the O2 UK incentive scheme, first identified in 2017, which prompted a significant overhaul of the operator’s anti-corruption policy and procedures.
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Premium
Vodafone people moves: Technology splits and board changes
Group board changes include Ahuja’s departure. Vodafone networks exec and TIP Chair Tenorio picks up Lime Micro chairmanship. Vodafone Spain continues leadership overhaul in Consumer, Enterprise, and Technology divisions.