Public affairs – Page 42
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Strategy & Change
DT’s Ahrens reaffirms commitment to Gaia-X amid turbulence
T-Systems CTO Maximilian Ahrens sees DT as a “bridge builder” for Gaia-X. Chairman of European cloud association insists it is still in startup phase and accepts “an element of needing to find ourselves”. Summit marked by reported sponsorship row and France-based Scaleway become first major member to exit the ...
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Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in T-Mobile US: VoNR not yet ready
VoNR not yet ready; retail partnerships boost footprint; Google tie-up surfaces with new plan.
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Public Affairs
T-Mobile rides cyberattack storm
Operator’s Q3 numbers indicate few customers ditched its services in wake of high-profile data breach in August 2021. Competitor exploitation of Sprint integration challenges highlighted as bigger issue, albeit one TMUS intends to make “short-lived”. TMUS highlights organisational and cultural changes in response to attack.
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Premium
TDE continues post-flood efforts with Eutelsat deal
Agreement brings improved broadband connectivity to areas in Germany with poor signal. Pilot underway in city of Heimerzheim, which was badly affected by July’s flooding.
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Public Affairs
Altnets gird for legal battle over Openreach FTTP pricing — report
CityFibre said to be heading up legal challenge to Ofcom’s Equinox decision. Rural fibre builder Gigaclear among altnets joining forces to fight back against Openreach’s lower FTTP pricing structure.
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Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in Hispanoamérica: Chilean rivals team up
Rivals team up in Chile; Telefónica Mexico builds out its third-party coverage.
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Strategy & Change
Telefónica preps for 2,000+ job cuts — reports
Spanish operations look set for voluntary redundancy scheme rollout, according to multiple sources. Continuation of ongoing headcount reduction programme expected to be in place by mid-2022 following union negotiations later this month.
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People
Dunne moves upstairs as Brouillette takes lead at Verizon
Former O2 UK CEO steps aside as head of Verizon’s fixed-mobile consumer business. New role will see Dunne act as Strategic Advisor to Verizon Chairman. Change comes as new allegations linked to O2’s role in Phones 4u demise continue to emerge.
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Partnerships & Alliances
UK telcos face missing out on Horizon Europe funding
Political brinkmanship between London and Brussels threatens access to €95.5bn R&D pot. UK preps Discovery Fund as alternative, but unlikely to match largesse of Horizon Europe.
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Public Affairs
Phones 4u saga continues with ‘burner’ phone allegation
Former Orange exec Benoit Scheen attempted to arrange untraceable call to collude with Vodafone, according to High Court claim. Illicit text messages uncovered as part of evidence discovery.
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Network & Infrastructure
Colloms: DCMS must “crack on” with reform to back fibre
Openreach MD of Corporate Affairs confident on business’s ability to meet government goals on fibre deployment, but commercial programme will need support to maintain momentum. Physical access to sites potentially a huge obstacle to the rollout in both urban and rural areas, but “common sense” updates to legislation could ...
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Public Affairs
Vodafone Pass reviewed following EU judgement
ECJ goes further than expected by consumer group. VfD may be forced to provide the same terms and conditions through EU. Other European OpCos could be affected.
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Network & Infrastructure
Vivo picks up Brazilian 5G spectrum
Brazilian operator among 15 participating in spectrum bidding. Long-awaited auction includes frequencies across a handful of 5G-friendly bands. Interest from new entrants poses competitive impact questions, with new national MNO now in the mix. Vivo opting for multi-vendor approach to its standalone core.
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Premium
Telefónica people moves: Group seeks strengthened government relations
Juan Montero takes over public policy and competition remit, with reshuffled reports in support. A direct swap on the Group’s Board sees María Rotondo Urcola fill Sabina Fluxà Thienemann’s shoes. Vivo names a successor for its vacant CIO spot. VM O2 builds out a marketing team to grow its ...
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Network & Infrastructure
Portugal 5G spectrum auction finally ends after 200 days
Vodafone Portugal is second-biggest spender after NOS. Auction ushers in Dixarobil and Nowo as new entrants.
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M&A
Telefónica’s El Salvador sale under review by regulator
$144m deal cannot go ahead without authorisation. SC has 90 business days to reach a decision.
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Products & Services
Government considering BT’s emergency comms proposal
UK Home Office in discussions with BT over introduction of 888 emergency comms and tracking system. 888/Walk Me Home working titles for platform that could act as “deterrent to criminals”. £50m public funding required. Christmas 2021 launch possible.
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Public Affairs
UK government defends Ethiopian mobile investment
Vodafone and CDC investment in Ethiopian mobile operator crops up in parliamentary debate on Tigray humanitarian crisis. Investment deemed to be “right” and long term. CDC emphasises role as impact investor with a lot of patience. Vodacom agrees to fund Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia.
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Public Affairs
Vodafone pursues UK government over lost contract
Vodafone loses Foreign Office contract to Fujitsu, claims process breached procurement rules. Preliminary issue trial set for January 2022.
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Public Affairs
Vodafone called upon for German emergency alerts
Bundestag amends legislature to pave the way for Cell Broadcast SMS-based early-warning system. July floods expedite political process, with politicians now laying out technical specifications before MNOs get to work.