Europe Telecoms News
Financial & Performance
Telefónica guidance: 2019 targets met, just about
Telefónica claims to have met its FY19 guidance, frowing by 3.2%. 2020 stability promised, but Covid-19 means all bets are off.
Financial & PerformanceTelefónica’s FY19: building a hybrid engine for a juggernaut
Targets on profit and revenue for the year achieved, but Group now guiding for a period of ‘low and slow’ progress on key financial metrics. While financial growth looks hard to come by, Álvarez‑Pallete is aiming to create a higher purpose for Telefónica and drive engagement with his transformation ...
- Network & Infrastructure
Telefónica to trial 5G open RAN
New vendor pack picked for fresh, Europe-based 4G/5G testing round. Open RAN to meld with UNICA as network cloud/virtualisation efforts spread out. O‑RAN Alliance enters picture. No word on timing for open RAN go‑to-market.
- Strategy & Change
Telefónica steps up response to coronavirus crisis
Group‑wide commitments made to maintaining network capacity in light of changing demand. Cisco and Microsoft partnerships enabling additional enterprise customer support. Consumer benefits include temporary free content and information access, and leeway on data use. Cooperation with public administrations and local rivals seen across the Telefónica footprint.
- Financial & Performance
Regional performance: Group savours European stability
FY19 results the first since a tightened focus on four major markets. Volatility in Hispam business seen as justification for focus on key regions.
- Partnerships & Alliances
Telefónica deepens Microsoft cloud alliance
Microsoft plans to open a new ‘Azure region’ for data centres in Spain and use Telefónica infrastructure to create a joint cloud services offering.
- Network & Infrastructure
Government herds operators into rural sharing pen
March 2020 deadline met, saving government face. Unknown outcome from pushback against EE fee proposal.
- Partnerships & Alliances
Team player Telefónica urges edge compute expansion
Group joins Telco Edge Cloud alliance to promote “federation of interconnected operators”. Work with China Unicom, KT, and Telstra on improving multi-operator MEC experience. Goal is to better expose network edge capabilities to third parties. Telefónica throws hat into ring of another alliance to speed up 5G MEC commercialisation. ...
- Suppliers & SCM
Telefónica UK taps Mavenir again, this time for vIMS
Mavenir solution to slot into operator’s UNICA data centre infrastructure. Timelines hazy for commercial launch.
- Venturing & Investments
Telefónica-backed startup and venturing ecosystems, March 2020
Round‑up of recent activity among Telefónica-backed startup and venturing ecosystems.
- Network & Infrastructure
Juniper ties with NEC to extend Fusión to Chile
Two key Telefónica partners working to upgrade core infrastructure using a tried and tested European model. Plans said to be 5G‑ready, although Chile still some way from launching the next‑generation network technology.
- Network & Infrastructure
O2 critical of ‘final’ 5G auction rules
Operator still concerned over Three’s power coming into 3.4GHz–3.8GHz assignment negotiations. Talks’ outcome said to have implications for 5G enabler choices.
- Public Affairs
Phones 4u lawyers claim evidence “mysteriously lost”
Phones 4u administrators expected to highlight an absence of information from former Group management as reason for suspicion that O2 UK may have put undue commercial pressure on the retailer.
- Products & Services
Telefónica España launches alarms JV with Prosegur
Movistar Prosegur Alarmas JV started operations in March 2020. Prosegur becomes minor Telefónica Group shareholder as part of transaction.
- Public Affairs
Operators keep hold of licence fee ‘windfall’
Telefónica gains a win in a licence fee dispute. Group looks set to keep £54m returned, after courts find against Ofcom once more.
- Content & TV
Vodafone feels frozen out by Movistar’s Disney+ win
Rival claims foul play in behind-scenes negotiations with Disney.
- Enterprise (B2B)
O2 Germany trumpets Aldi contract
O2 Germany trumpeted a major contract with German supermarket chain Aldi.
- Public Affairs
O2 Germany plays down coverage fine threat
O2 Germany sought to dampen suggestions that it could be fined up to €30m for failing to meet LTE coverage obligations linked to spectrum licences acquired in 2015.
- Partnerships & Alliances
O2 Germany shrugs off DT, Vodafone Germany network-sharing tie-up
Markus Haas, Chief Executive of Telefónica Deutschland, shrugged off a provisional network-sharing tie‑up between rivals Deutsche Telekom (DT) and Vodafone Germany, and the associated snub received by his business.
- Network & Infrastructure
Telxius, Orange supply backhaul for transatlantic submarine cable
Telxius is cooperating with Orange to supply backhaul connectivity for Dunant, a Google-backed submarine cable connecting Europe and the USA.
- Suppliers & SCM
O2 UK targets net zero mobile operator status
O2 UK flagged plans to become the UK’s first ‘net zero’ mobile operator, and work with its suppliers to reduce emissions across its supply chain by 30%, by 2025.
