Richard Agnew
Richard Agnew is Group Editor at TelcoTitans and Market Mettle.
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Suppliers & SCMBT seeks instant purchasing power with Suplari
Procurement function seeking “relevance” by addressing “huge legacy” of aging IT, and reliance on Excel. Calculating spend with individual suppliers was unwieldy and long-winded. Quick-fire info seen as increasingly important amid disruption of COVID‑19 and Brexit.
- Corporate
T‑Mobile US boardroom given a refresh
Newly‑appointed Telekom Deutschland CEO Srini Gopalan leaves US board, swapped for Dominique Leroy. hubraum’s Tazi and Group veteran Wilkins also join.
- Network & Infrastructure
Deutsche Telekom takes rain‑check on full‑fibre target
Rethink on mix of German next-gen deployment will see Group need a year more than expected to get up to full roll out speed.
- Partnerships & Alliances
Vodafone resets consumer IoT business, targets new markets
Operator looking beyond its own OpCos to meet growth ambitions in the consumer IoT space. Group planning to go direct and indirect in new markets, including France and the USA. Seeking new partners.
- Network & Infrastructure
Vodafone Hungary spins out its tower operation
New Hungary TowerCo mirrors recent moves across European businesses. Another foundation stone laid for Vodafone’s Vantage Towers float. Gergő Budai takes CEO spot.
- Strategy & Change
BT deploys bot to get top techies talking
“Robotic speed dating” sessions among changes being made in a bid to build better connections within Group’s technology leadership. BT getting creative as it grapples with change agenda.
- Public Affairs
Cosmote drops the ball on call data
Greek operator under fire, locally, over vulnerability leading to large-scale loss of customer details.
- Strategy & Change
BT moves house in Hungary
Group’s Better Workplace office revamp extends beyond UK. Hungarian shared services operations remain in expansion-mode.
- Partnerships & Alliances
Telefónica in the zone for high‑flying HAPS partnership
SoftBank-backed comms-in-the-sky venture has piqued the interest of Telefónica, although the Group has yet to divulge any plans for its platform. Venture could be an overlay to ‘connecting the unconnected’ initiatives in Latin American markets.
- Partnerships & Alliances
BuyIn drafted to help Proximus–Orange RAN meld
Showcase outreach project for BuyIn JV. Operators looking at pooled buying as an antidote to Huawei clampdown, and resultant reduced vendor competition? Proximus now has foot in both Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom partner camps.
- Suppliers & SCM
Brexit and COVID: BT’s twin supply chain headaches
Group continuing to scrutinise status of 450 key partners, amid logistical and financial turmoil wrought by pandemic. Spread of critical partners under consideration to create greater resilience post-coronavirus and split from EU. Telcos, traditionally known for squeezing suppliers to the max, now focused on keeping them afloat.
- Operations
Deutsche Telekom brings IoT under German supervision
Organisational shift forms part of broader B2B realignment and looks focused on freshening up approach to enterprise 5G market.
- Innovation (R&D)
Double dose of reality for BT in Glasgow R&D link-up
Controlling football crowds and helping train technical staff among 5G-based applications being looked at in AR/VR tie-up with University of Glasgow.
- People
Nafziger to lead Telekom Deutschland’s international B2B push
Global Carrier Head takes on ownership of all B2B plans beyond Germany. Operator seeking to better coordinate its international enterprise market play.
- People
Vodafone Spain’s Coimbra to step down after eight years
End of era for Spanish business that has struggled to adapt to new realities over the past decade.
- Strategy & Change
Telefónica Peru seeks giant leap from Project Apollo
Tecnotree-supported modernisation programme enabling more time to be taken in disentangling “fantastic mess” of legacy point solutions. Business wanted digital platform refresh to match cadence of webscale service development. Project held up as case study by TM Forum, highlighting open integration.
- Strategy & Change
Q2 FY20: Un-Carrier quickly finds stride after H1’s bumps
New CEO and CFO team remain bullish on business growth opportunities, despite challenges of Sprint integration, COVID‑19, and change of leadership. TMUS moots a period of commercial aggression against rivals in H2, working off economic downturn and 5G differentiation. B2B expansion also back (yet again) on agenda. Reported surpassing ...
- Strategy & Change
Q2 FY20: Steadying European ship now a top DT priority
With the appointment of Dominique Leroy to lead Europe segment, DT appears to be ensuring it can attack regional revival from all sides. An outsider but not a maverick — Group continues ‘internationalisation’ of upper hierarchy but evidently does not want to rock boat in a time of crisis. ...
- Strategy & Change
Q2 FY20: Gopalan backed to solve Germany paradox
Transferred from Europe segment, new CEO is being asked to bridge multiple, competing business objectives at Telekom Deutschland, as Group takes a fresh look at how to move its European-based businesses forward. Höttges’ comments suggest efficient fibre rollout remains a puzzle the operator has yet to get to the ...
- Financial & Performance
Guidance: Deutsche Telekom shows off its super-sized stats
Up-sized Group sees earnings coming in above €30bn.
