All Public Affairs articles
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Network & Infrastructure
Ofcom plots spectrum fee overhaul after MNOs’ calls for change
UK regulator sets out proposal to cut £40m from mobile operators’ collective annual spectrum licence bill after BT’s call for change.
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Public Affairs
Exasperated telco CEOs mulled strike action to drive EU regulatory change: Orange’s Heydemann
Orange CEO says the concept of a CEO strike came up in discussions over how to change European regulators’ mindset towards sector, although concedes impracticality of such a move.
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Public Affairs
Colombia delays Telefónica reprieve in network licence dispute
Operator faces pushback from Colombian government after being on the verge of winning long-running legal dispute. Delay in the resolution process comes at critical moment for Telefónica’s Colombian operations, as it seeks to exit the market…
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M&A
Vodafone–Three merger ‘releases the handbrake’ on UK telecoms, but at what cost?
Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle hails creation of a ‘new force’ as CMA grants regulatory go-ahead for Vodafone–Three merger, but questions remain about the impact on MVNOs, rivals, consumers, and the combined entity’s networks…
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Public Affairs
European Commission raises ‘serious doubts’ as Hungary plots wholesale broadband changes
Brussels raises “serious doubts” about the legality of Hungary’s plans to regulate wholesale broadband access, leaving telcos in limbo.
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M&A
Sky slams CMA’s ‘weak’ wholesale remedy for Vodafone–Three merger
Sky fights the MVNO corner for stronger wholesale access terms to be conditional for approval of pending Vodafone UK-Three UK merger.
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Content & TV
DT questions Vodafone’s cable TV defence tactics
Deutsche Telekom says slow disconnection of German users freed from bulk contracts by recent law change is dulling move’s intended competitive benefit.
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Public Affairs
Telefónica dismisses execs over Venezuela bribery fines
Operator disciplines and parts with key staff after the US Department of Justice fines operating businesses, citing collusion with two vendors to bribe government officials. Read more…
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Network & Infrastructure
OTE boss reassures over fibre build after slowdown
About 100,000 Greek homes are lopped off incumbent’s 2024 fibre build out plan, after marked slowdown in rollout pace this year.
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Public Affairs
Greek incumbent ‘not happy’ over utility rival’s fibre power trip
OTE Group wants Greek telecoms watchdog to intervene to ensure a level playing field between it and utility PPC, as latter prepares a wide-scale (and less regulation-encumbered) fibre roll out programme.
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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
UK telcos under regulatory fire for ‘misleading’ ads
BT, TalkTalk, and Virgin Media O2 asked to remove ads following ASA investigation into claims that they could mislead consumers about mid-contract price hikes.
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M&A
BT, Sky urge CMA to block Vodafone-Three merger
BT and Sky make last-ditch arguments to prevent the merger of Vodafone and Three that would combine the UK’s third and fourth mobile operators.
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Public Affairs
Unions reject MásOrange’s revised lay-off plan
Newly-merged joint venture wants to push through nearly 750 redundancies to progress its four-year ‘synergy’ extraction programme and broader ‘two into one’ integration effort.
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Public Affairs
Deep dive: What UK FibreCos want from Labour gov’t
Fibre builders share what they want from the new Labour government, with policy consistency and demand-side support topping wishlists, divergence on the detail. Read more…
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Public Affairs
UK Minister hints at fixes for FibreCos’ apartment access woes
Operators vent about barriers to accessing MDU access as new Telecoms Minister offers support for reforms, but little in the way of detail or firm commitments…
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Public Affairs
Draghi’s EU vision prompts mixed response from telcos
Regional grandees Ericsson, Nokia, Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone among those praising EU’s vision on improving competitiveness on the global stage, but others not so keen on the strictures it lays out. Register to read more…
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People
BT adds ex-antitrust CEO to boardroom
Former Competition and Markets Authority CEO Alex Chrisholm joins BT board to lead Ofcom engagement, support Openreach separation compliance.
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Products & Services
In depth: One Touch Switching launch day
UK’s ‘imperfect’ fixed broadband migration hub debuts to mixed altnet reviews, and incumbent ISP win-back loophole only spotted on launch day. OTS broadly seen by many challengers as open season on majors with poor customer satisfaction, mixed with fears of race to bottom and weakness on multi-play (Sky and VM O2 are both bullish, too). Register to read…
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Strategy & Change
Brazil’s Vivo gets Central Bank nod to expand in fintech
Central Bank of Brazil grants licence for operator to expand credit and insurance products and grow its presence in the fintech space.