All articles by Richard Agnew
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M&ASpain’s Indra completes Hispasat buy, steps up billion-euro space mission
Spanish defence and IT group completes purchase of satellite operator Hispasat, adding another building block to plans for a €1bn+, ‘end-to-end’ European space player. Indra is targeting substantial revenue and efficiency gains, and a bigger role in European space projects, by melding the satco with existing satellite interests Deimos and Startical.
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Analyst BriefingDeutsche Telekomwatch: T.Capital gets defensive; DT nets another home win
Analyst Briefing: Past week’s developments include confirmation that Telekom Deutschland has hit its headline 2.5 million FTTH homes target for 2025, and the Group has added another defence-focused partner to its T.Capital ecosystem…
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M&ASoftBank puts oomph into AI mega-plan with DigitalBridge deal
Japanese investment giant agrees $4bn deal to buy DigitalBridge, and in doing so gains more control over hardware and plumbing for figurehead Masayoshi Son’s ‘Artificial Super Intelligence’ dream.
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M&APhoenix seeks lift with French tower bolt-on
Bolstered by heavyweight private equity backing, US tower group firms up opportunistic buyout of SFR-Bouygues joint venture Infracos to gain scale in its biggest European market.
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Venturing & InvestmentsDT rewards another AI supplier with VC injection
DT’s corporate venturing arm T.Capital closes out 2025 with the addition of another AI tech partner to its investment portfolio: Swedish app development platform player Lovable.
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M&ATelefónica secures deal to sell Hispam B2B interests
Spanish group agrees a multi-layered deal to offload Telefónica Tech businesses in three Hispam markets but while also ensuring its maintains services for MNC clients.
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Financial & PerformanceTelefónica firms up plan for 5,500 Spanish job cuts
Group says it has secured a financially and strategically important deal with unions on large-scale redundancies in Spain, after initiating negotiations in November. Agreement looks set to shift Telefónica about a quarter of the way to headline spend reduction goal outlined under new Transform & Grow strategic plan.
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Analyst BriefingTelefónicawatch: another JMAP-era exec exits; Gayo gets buying; IT vendors net handouts
Analyst Briefing: Round-up of the latest developments at Spain’s re-morphing incumbent, as 2025’s dramatic strategy and personnel changes continue all the way up to the end of the year. Finance chief Laura Abasolo’s departure is confirmed, as part of another top exec layer rejig. And partnerships with Prosegur and Nato move forward as Group targets tech growth. Read more…
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Network & InfraTelekom Deutschland clears 2025 fibre in-tray ahead of Christmas break
German incumbent says it has now met headline end-2025 goal of adding 2.5 million homes and businesses to its FTTH footprint, giving it a useful (but partial) win in escalating battle with rivals over fibre sign-ups…
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Financial & PerformanceProsegur ‘super-open’ to expansion of Telefónica home security ties
Senior execs at Telefónica’s digital alarms partner talk up success of their six-year-old joint venture, and lay out plans for the next five. With cash flow now positive, they see the business as set to enter a new, self-sustaining phase of growth.
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Public AffairsTelefónica trims Spanish job cutback plan in bid for union deal
Talks continue between employee reps and bosses over Group’s latest planned round of cutbacks.
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InterviewEurofiber CEO Alex Goldblum on a decade of deals
Interview: CEO of expansive European fibre and data centre services player says M&A action is not over as it targets growth across enlarged western European footprint.
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PeoplewatchTelefónica boss ends year with a final flourish of axe
Telefónica puts a final paint stroke on 2025’s drastic Exec Team refurnish with the announcement of finance boss Laura Abasolo’s departure. Her exit does not come as a shock given she was last one standing in the top lieutenant line-up of former Executive Chairman José María Álvarez-Pallete…
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Network & InfraTelekom Deutschland: compulsory copper shutdown would be ‘massive’ error
German incumbent dismisses rivals’ criticism of its ‘go-slow’ policy on copper decommissioning.
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PeoplewatchDeutsche Telekom Peoplewatch: top team tweaks at T-Mo
The latest strategic and senior changes at Deutsche Telekom, including more exec role rejigging by T-Mobile US CEO Srini Gopalan as he ups the operator’s focus on tech as a customer acquisition weapon against rivals. There are also changes at Group level on digital CX, and at German sub-brand Congstar, as DT moves to up its own game on tech-fuelled sales.
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Analyst BriefingDeutsche Telekomwatch: SoftBank on M&A manoeuvres
Analyst Briefing: Past week’s developments include more M&A machinations around DT’s infra partner ecosystem, as reports suggest SoftBank and DigitalBridge could come together on a deal that would bring the Japanese conglomerate into DT’s home-market tower space. Telekom Deutschland, meanwhile, makes a rare foray into fibre M&A with a ‘buy over build’ deal in Essen.
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PeoplewatchTelefónica Peoplewatch: Vivo’s fintech platforms set for AI refit
The latest strategic and senior changes at Telefónica, as Vivo hands out task of infusing its growing portfolio of fintech platforms with AI capabilities, and Telefónica assigns Cellnex exec responsibility for guiding under-pressure German business back to growth.
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Strategy & ChangeTelefónica aims slap bang in middle in bid for revival
FY25–FY30 Transform & Grow strategy deep dive: Group’s new leadership goes more aggressive and old school with new five-year agenda, targeting corporate centre for billions of euros of savings.
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M&AEurope towers: Telcos’ urge to merge remains turn-off for SBA
US wireless infra group remains watchful on M&A opportunities across the Atlantic, citing the latest wave of regional MNO mergers as a dampener on the business case for deals. CFO says SBA is “not going to step in front of a consolidating market”.
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Analyst BriefingDeutsche Telekomwatch: German spectrum own-goal
Analyst Briefing: In past week’s developments, a forced rethink on 2019 5G rights auction adds to the complicated regulatory and macro picture backdropping Germany’s telecoms sector; DT looks to Rheinmetall as a future partner on sovereign/security tech push; Congstar fills its CEO vacancy with internal promotion; and more…