Public affairs
-
Innovation30 years down, 5+ to go before BT’s quantum vision comes to life
Capacity Europe 2025: Senior Research Manager Andrew Lord remains optimistic about quantum secure communications, but sought-after commercial use cases still five-to-ten years away. QKD a valid ‘stepping stone’, and satellite may boost momentum, but supply chain ‘fragility’ remains a stumbling block…
-
Network & InfraUK MNOs bag equal share of mmWave spectrum in £39m auction
BT, VodafoneThree, and Virgin Media O2 share the spoils in Ofcom’s delayed auction, each committing £13m for 26GHz and 40GHz spectrum, but not all MHz are equal…
-
Public AffairsClearing the Eir: Irish operators criticise ‘excessively lax’ access rules
Industry body ALTO, representing operators such as BT, Vodafone, Enet, and Sky, calls for review into regulation of incumbent.
-
Analyst BriefingsTelefónicawatch Analyst Briefing: Group vs Gloop as strategy unveil nears
With less than a month to go before Telefónica’s big strategy reveal, the Group continues to appear set for a battle to push through the new agenda, whether with unions and government on cost-cutting plans in Spain, or European decision-makers on consolidation. Exec Chair Marc Murtra has been in Brazil, meanwhile, to raise support for the new plan. Read more…
-
PeopleTelefónica Peoplewatch: new era dawns at O2; Innovation Digital goes ‘cutting edge’
The latest strategic and senior changes at Telefónica, including news that long-serving Germany chief Markus Haas is stepping down after nearly a decade in the job, and just months after signing a new deal…
-
Public AffairsIndia considers Vi reprieve to promote UK trade, foster relations — report
Vodafone-backed Indian operator Vi may benefit from UK-India trade negotiations as reports emerge that the New Delhi government may waive some debts.
-
Public AffairsTelefónica said to mull Spain job cuts ahead of Murtra’s strategy reset
Telefónica reportedly preparing an incentivised early-retirement plan to cut at least 6,000 jobs across Spanish subsidiaries. The operator is said to be aiming to present plans to unions following upcoming strategy reset…
-
Analyst BriefingsTelefónicawatch Analyst Briefing: Murtra wants a New Deal on new deals
The latest news and developments from around Telefónica, as Executive Chair Marc Murtra reiterates call for European authorities to free telcos to merge, and gain scale against global rivals. Unions, meanwhile, begin to take an interest in what the operator’s coming strategy refresh could mean for its workforce in Spain. Read more…
-
Public Affairs‘Enormously aggressive’: nexfibre leads altnet complaints against Openreach copper-to-fibre discounting
Connected Britain 2025: As Openreach pulls levers to combat massive broadband losses, and drive fibre adoption alongside, altnet leaders have called out the discount pricing strategy as unsustainable. nexfibre execs have called it an exploitation of the incumbent’s significant market powers, CityFibre warns of structure advantage, plus views from other altnets, rivals…
-
Network & InfraDT links to Germany’s broadband portal in bid to cut fibre red tape
Deutsche Telekom urges all municipalities to get on board the Breitband Portal and calls on other operators to make use of the digital platform.
-
Public AffairsOrange Poland could see last regulatory shackles removed, if rivals allow
Regulator UKE plans to remove Orange’s local loop unbundling and bitstream access wholesale obligations in move likely to be closely watched by European telco giants, amid calls for looser rules.
-
EventwatchIndustry maps next steps for UK’s One Touch Switch
Connected Britain 2025: TOTSCo to focus on two key areas over the next year to further improve and streamline OTS, with BT, Hyperoptic, and Grain Connect among those highlighting the system’s consequences and potential improvements…
-
EventwatchTelco CEOs turn up heat on Europe’s regulators as Draghi report turns one
FT Connect Europe Forum: Discussions turn technical as telco CEOs call for fundamental changes to the way sector regulations are applied, including a move from ex ante to ex post.
-
Public AffairsBT’s Kirkby pulls no punches in review of UK regulatory, fiscal policy
Connected Britain: Allison Kirkby lets loose on Downing Street policy, with greater fiscal certainty needed to fund much-needed infra investment and AI adoption. Regulatory policy comes in for inevitable criticism too, as the BT boss sets the scene for the Chancellor’s upcoming Budget and Ofcom’s pending Telecoms Access Review…
-
Public AffairsOrange pushes ahead with its own agenda as regulatory change drags on
Christel Heydemann points out that Orange is not waiting for EU merger guidelines to be revisited before considering measures that would create synergies, as it did in Spain.
-
M&ATelefónica’s Hispam roll-back continues
Spanish group has now firmed deals to offload more than half of its regional business in Hispanoamérica, after gaining a nod from competition regulators for exits from Ecuador and Uruguay. Four further operations remain on Telefónica’s to-sell list as it re-directs resource and attention towards Brazil and Europe.
-
M&ATelefónica cleared to exit Uruguay
Uruguayan government clears path for Telefónica to close sale of local business to Millicom, furthering the Spanish group’s busy deal-making agenda.
-
Public AffairsGerman government looks to speed up fibre build to flats
Fibre industry organisations and players back key measures proposed by the German government to accelerate fibre rollout to multi-dwelling units, but indicate further procedural changes are needed to remove “bureaucratic hurdles”…
-
Public AffairsOrange faces union disquiet over plan to simplify French operations
The ‘Regain’ plan is now in the consultation phase, but unions are unhappy with multiple aspects of the proposals. No job cuts are planned, but the number of departments could be slashed to four, and five major centres replaced by nine smaller ones.
-
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…