All Political articles
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Network & InfraUK infra body sees Project Gigabit progress as DSIT ups budget
The government is signalling confidence in Project Gigabit, increasing funding and reaffirming delivery targets even as concerns persist over supplier finances, rollout delays, and the long-term viability of parts of the fibre market.
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Public AffairsEU’s DNA faces pushback, with MVNOs wary of spectrum rule changes
MVNOs World: With the upcoming Digital Networks Act, the EC aims to create a fresh start for the region’s telecoms industry and provide a much-needed boost to the bloc’s competitiveness. But it seems few see the norms, as proposed, as likely to deliver the galvanising force the Commission intends, with challenger players remaining concerned they will have to take one for the team as the EU bids to shore up their incumbent network operator rivals.
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M&ACMA uprates Netomnia–nexfibre investigation to Phase 2 as altnets call for ‘urgency’
Altnet buyer nexfibre gets pragmatic and skips straight to the in-depth competition review, keeping hopes alive for completion before the end of the year. The UK’s fibre scene is set to change, but the CMA will now decide the extent.
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B2BVodafone chases defence opportunity with centralised German hub
European B2B chief Hagen Rickmann heads a move to consolidate and ‘bundle’ defence-related operations in Düsseldorf to target the sector “more strongly”, meet growing demand, and go head-to-head with rival telcos.
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Network & InfraBT joins exclusive telco cohort in Anthropic’s frontier AI security project
Telco is the first UK business to confirm Project Glasswing participation, and the first European telco on the list, gaining early access to a frontier AI model aimed at pre-empting next-gen cyber threats.
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M&Anexfibre’s Datta: ‘corner shop fibre’ is dead, the UK needs an infra megamart
Interview: proposed £2bn acquisition of Netomnia is sparking fierce debate across the UK broadband sector. With industry heavyweights trading blows over duopoly fears and infrastructure overlap, discover why CEO Rajiv Datta believes this consolidation is crucial to challenging Openreach.
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M&ATelcos welcome ‘long overdue’ EC draft merger guidelines
Telcos now have the opportunity to provide informed feedback as the long‑awaited draft on European Union merger guidelines is published.
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Financial & PerformanceVi secures government dues breather as attention turns to infra investment
Vodafone-backed Indian operator confirms AGR liabilities slashed by a quarter to ease debt burden and offer some relief for the challenged MNO as it invests in significant 4G/5G expansion.
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Strategy & ChangeBT: UK’s regulatory ‘Wild West’ presents barrier to sovereignty investment
FutureNet World: Business CTO Colin Bannon makes rare call for greater regulation to remove sovereign platform investment barriers and warns that end-to-end technical sovereignty is unrealistic and misguided.
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Financial & PerformanceEuropean fibrecos warned of ‘enormous’ 2027 debt crunch
Europe’s fibre industry is heading into a critical two-year period with half of all fibreco debt due, warns ING’s Jeroen Kleinjan. Rising geopolitical tensions and fears over inflation and competition from other digital infra asset classes could hinder altnets’ ability to overcome a looming ‘refinancing wall’.
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InterviewChelot: wholesale scale is ‘mission impossible’ without nexfibre-Netomnia deal
Interview: “I have a wholesale platform, but I have no wholesale customers”. Jeremy Chelot’s Netomnia hit a structural ceiling, with bowing out the only way to progress the Openreach challenge. Firing back at nexfibre deal critics, he asks for alternatives to his Plan B, deeming consolidation the best route and reflecting on the challenge of leading a business through a sale.
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M&AOrange’s Heydemann is confident on new SFR takeover bid
CEO of French incumbent is hoping for a positive response to its second bid for assets from distressed rival SFR, alongside Bouygues and Iliad. As well as dangling a higher, €20bn+ offer in front of seller Altice, she notes a change to the deal’s structure would help the French trio mitigate some execution risk. She also remains confident of the case for consolidation.
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Strategy & ChangeDeutsche Telekom said to explore T-Mobile mega-meld
Group’s leadership said to be weighing a full combination between it and its American powerhouse, thus sorting out current disconnects that could complicate future deal-making and strategy. Shepherding any such deal through the corridors of Washington, Berlin, and Brussels would be highly challenging, however.
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M&A‘Loosen the leash’: Telefónica’s Murtra repeats call for telco M&A rethink
MWC26: Spanish group’s Executive Chairman Marc Murtra again urges European regulators to loosen the shackles on telco deal-making.
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EventwatchTrust me I’m a telco: sector insecurity seeps into MWC opener
MWC26: Telco CEOs take to the stage to warn of “unknown threats” and an emerging “Wild West” as the pace of technological change outpaces the rate that international operators, governments, and regulators can react…
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Network & InfraEnter SatCo: Vodafone raises curtain on European D2D branding, management
Branding, management, and governance unveiled as Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile take another step towards direct-to-device services launch in Europe. ‘We’re here to complement, not compete’ is the message from leadership, as satco takes on ‘operator-led’ model…
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Network & InfraWhat will it take to get orbital data centres off the ground?
In-depth: despite naysayers, startups and hyperscalers are accelerating plans to deploy data centres in space, with multiple major announcements since the start of the year. TelcoTitans Infrawatch investigates the players, prospects and viability…
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M&AEC cites need for ‘European champions’ as merger guidelines review looms
In depth: Anticipation builds as first sighting of revised EU merger guidelines is slated for April, and telcos are busy lobbying for an M&A rule change…
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Network & InfraT-Mobile boss pledges balance on spectrum spend
US telco is committed to maintaining its spectrum leadership, but will not buy frequencies at any cost.
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M&ATelefónica takes another step towards Colombian exit door
Millicom, prospective buyer of Telefónica Colombia, ticks off another item on its to-do list for the takeover with a tidy-up of the ownership of its own local business.