All Opex (operating expenditure) articles
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Network & InfraBITÉ and brown-iposs: bridging the confidence gap for Level 5 RAN automation
Mobile network autonomy need no longer be framed as science fiction, but as an engineering discipline: validate inputs, expose decision logic, and quantify impact before changing the network. Baltic mobile group BITÉ’s RAN field test of brown‑iposs’s CARAT offers an instructive lens on what it really takes to operationalise Level 5 ambitions…
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PeoplewatchSchulman’s knife: BT procurement star looks Verizon-bound, supporting massive ‘turnaround’
In-depth: Verizon seems to be adding another European Galactico to its team, tapping BT Sourced founder Cyril Pourrat to spearhead a massive efficiency drive. New CEO Dan Schulman is targeting rapid elimination of $4bn in capex and $5bn in opex, and deployment of automation at scale. Pourrat offers battle-tested digital procurement strategies to a US-supersize turnaround story…
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Financial & PerformanceTelefónica firms up plan for 5,500 Spanish job cuts
Group says it has secured a financially and strategically important deal with unions on large-scale redundancies in Spain, after initiating negotiations in November. Agreement looks set to shift Telefónica about a quarter of the way to headline spend reduction goal outlined under new Transform & Grow strategic plan.
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Public AffairsUnions call on Telefónica for ‘one last effort’ on strategic reorg
Talks continue between employee reps and bosses over Group’s latest planned round of cutbacks.
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Financial & PerformanceGuidance: H1 pace allows for H2 slowdown as Vodafone moves into cleaner air
Q2/H1 FY25–26: Group reaffirms FY outlook but expects to hit the upper end of earnings and free cash flow targets, buoyed by a strong first half that allows for lower growth in Q3 and Q4. Outgoing CFO Luka Mucic weighs prospects after he leaves and finds ‘net positives’…
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Financial & PerformanceSpend: capex down, opex up as Vodafone reaches ‘appropriate’ scale
Q2/H1 FY25–26: with the Group’s capital structure ‘reset’, CEO Margherita Della Valle considers investment levels to be at the right level in each market: spend balloons at newly scaled UK, Germany finds efficiencies and reduces capex, broadly stable elsewhere.
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Financial & PerformanceSpend: BT leaning on AI, job cuts to fuel cost-savings agenda
Q2/H1 FY25–26: cost-cutting agenda running ahead of schedule, and more momentum could be added as AI is deployed more widely and new Chief Digital Officer Peter Leukert gets his hands dirty. Headcount cuts are another major earnings driver as Business and Openreach shrink back…
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Suppliers & SCMVodafone’s buying platform signs up Nomia for ‘strategic’ tail spend management
Vodafone Procure & Connect has enlisted Bell Integration spin-out Nomia to manage its tail spend with a view to turn the ‘tactical’ procurement into a ‘strategic’ asset…
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Financial & PerformanceTelefónica Q2 spend: copper maintenance drops off the bill
Telefónica’s home market OB gains the spotlight for cost efficiency efforts linked to completion of copper shutdown during Q2…
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Financial & PerformanceQ1 spend: Vodafone stays the course on capex total and mix
Q1 FY25–26: market by market capital allocation untouched, and management ‘very happy’ with current setup’s capacity to leverage strengths. Asset sales in Europe has given the Vodafone ‘strategic flexibility’, which may open options for greater investment under the next CFO…
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Suppliers & SCMVendor rebellion: why major operators are ditching Oracle and VMware support contracts
BT and Telefónica are the first of numerous telcos to go on the record challenging software vendor dominance by shifting legacy IT support to third-party specialists. This analysis explores how Spinnaker Support is helping them slash costs, extend end-of-life IT, and reallocate resources…
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Financial & PerformanceTelefónica Q1 spend: thrifty group nears single-digit intensity
Drops in capex and capital intensity re-emphasise Telefónica’s lead over many European telco peers when it comes to moving into new, more outlay-light era…
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Financial & PerformanceVodafone FY24–25 spend: investment on the rise
Capex jumps 8% after a drop-off, with network investment among the priorities. Troubled German OpCo maintained spend despite losing €1bn from earnings in two years…
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Financial & PerformanceDT Q1 FY25 Spend: more AIs in pipeline as DT ramps digital diet
Q1 FY25: Leadership stresses need to up delivery of cost-focused tech initiatives as commercial growth becomes harder to come by, and DT’s investment requirements remain.
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Network & InfraTelefónica says adios to copper after completing switch-off
Spanish operator is officially in post-copper era after switching off its last legacy exchanges, putting it in pole position among European telcos to benefit from capex and opex savings.
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Network & InfraVodafoneZiggo says ‘no’ to Dutch fibre, goes ‘all in’ on DOCSIS
Q1 FY25: With move to new strategic plan, Vodafone–Liberty Global joint venture commits to DOCSIS 4.0 upgrade over the next few years, turning down full-fibre prospect but keeping the door open to FibreCo partnerships…
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OperationsBetter Workplace: BT closes out five-year real estate overhaul programme
Group closes the Better Workplace book, with Manchester’s newest office redevelopment the final chapter.
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Public AffairsMásOrange completes lay-off plan after court rejects union challenge
Spain’s National Court has ruled that the operator’s ERE process is in accordance with the law.
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Financial & PerformanceDT FY24 Spend: light-touch regulation
FY24: DT’s differing position and priorities to European rivals sees regional capex remain elevated.
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Public AffairsMásOrange layoffs mired in legal challenge from unions
Ruling on legality of MásOrange’s redundancy plan delayed to end of next month as unions fight to protect 650 jobs at the recently merged operator.

















