All articles by Richard Agnew – Page 40
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PeopleOsborne to become Vodafone’s deal-making wingman
Ex-UK Chancellor likely to be involved in future Group acquisitions after agreeing to join M&A chaperone Robey Warshaw.
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M&ACaching out: Vodafone’s long-range storage play exited
Group’s corporate venturing portfolio continues to dwindle as Caringo, an investment made back in late-2000s, gets absorbed by storage peer.
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Strategy & ChangeVodafone said to be considering Ghanaian switcheroo
Possible offload to Vodacom said to be under consideration. Deal would chime with Group leadership’s bid to consolidate Africa and Europe power bases while improving financial position. Political complications likely to be a factor.
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Financial & PerformanceGo-to-market stasis hits Talkmobile numbers
Vodafone UK’s in-house MVNO yet to report uplift from u-turn on customer acquisition and implementation of new platform.
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Strategy & ChangeEXCLUSIVE: Vodafone splits IT, networks to advance TechCo vision
New bifurcated tech network division of responsibilities. Group and OpCo trickle-down. Groundwork for delayed TechCo strategy and build-out. Promoted Scott Petty lays out vision of 5G-based telco resurgence, but warns Vodafone could become M&A prey if data monetisation puzzle remains unsolved. Further insight into Vodafone’s thinking behind 2025 tech ...
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Strategy & ChangeBT seeks to electrify procurement with Faraday subsidiary
Managers for strategic procurement categories being recruited, including network, connectivity, and marketing. Data science remains prominent. New subsidiary’s standalone status emphasised, evidencing detachment and perhaps also ambition.
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PremiumTDE gets access systems on same page as A4 goes live
2020 launch target hit for highly strategic — but evidently complex — project. No follow up details on future roadmap.
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Network & InfraDeutsche Telekom’s four-play makes an impression
Operator’s long-planned Access 4.0 platform goes into operation in Germany, on schedule — but with a small footprint and plenty of work to do to realise Group’s full ambitions for softwarised system.
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M&ABT Cornwall quietly put into liquidation
Business blighted by falling-out between BT and its local public sector partners to be wound up. Another marker of troubled public-private partnership approach to council contracts confined to past.
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InnovationBT’s Pelipod stashes smart-locker growth
2016 logistics acquisition reports strong top-line increase but remains loss-making. Investment continuing to focus on development of its IoT-enabled boxes. Report follows mid-2020 takeover by BT’s Procurement department.
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PeopleVodafone UK’s Petty sets sights on Group CTO job
Exec lays out vision of 5G-based telco resurgence, but warns Vodafone could become M&A prey if data monetisation puzzle remains unsolved.
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PeopleVodafone UK’s Jeffery jumps ship, and may not be last
Group loses another exec from layer below CEO Read’s increasingly thin top leadership. Home-market custodian and Read contemporary Nick Jeffery likely to have seen development opportunities limited in tightly-controlled upper echelons. Resultant vacancies in Group Operations and Strategy briefs pose a challenge in terms of introducing new voices.
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PremiumVodafone Q2 FY20–21
Cost-cutting props up performance during COVID-19-hit quarter and CFO indicates she is preparing to step up efficiency plans further. Lag in delivery of leadership’s “Phase Two” plans, including Tech 2025, muddying attempts to assure stakeholders of a brighter future. Lots of talk of “underlying” strength as Group’s leadership seeks ...
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PremiumHeadline numbers: weathering the storm, for now
Key numbers relatively solid, reflecting telecoms sector’s cushioning from worst of pandemic disruption. Cost-cutting props up earnings, offsetting top-line weakness. Results preceded latest coronavirus response measures, which will have exacerbated drag on roaming revenue. Government support measures and resumption of international travel cited as key to maintaining solidity.
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PremiumGuidance: tightly-wound numbers obscure future
On a like-for-like basis, Vodafone Group is holding its own in the pandemic so far and leadership appears confident regarding short-term outlook. Longer-term prospects remain a question mark, however, especially as cost-cutting — rather than the top-line growth — is keeping the Group on a steady course. Asset sales ...
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PremiumSpend: Della Valle dials it up on COVID cost-cutting
CFO flags acceleration of savings push during H1, and possibility of a further expansion of ambitions for the post-COVID era. Planned developments at Vodafone Procurement Company briefly mooted. Stark Retail and Shared Services cutbacks detailed.
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PremiumEurope: Read stresses asset line-up is not settled
Vodafone leadership considering next phase of Group strategy, and indicates M&A moves could form part of new medium-term plan. Group open to solutions in markets not generating sufficient return on capital employed. Germany’s importance to Vodafone on display again; commitment to other markets less obvious.
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PremiumAfrica: resilient SA helps Vodacom through crisis
Vodacom continues to perform well despite regulatory and macro pressures across its regional footprint. However, unfavourable currency trends remain fly in the ointment when Group’s results are translated to Vodafone’s P&L. No sign yet that Vodafone management is going cool on its commitment to Africa, despite weaknesses and willingness ...
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PremiumHeadline data: bulked-up DT busting out of old suit
Double-figure and triple-figure milestones nearing for expanded Group on sales and earnings. TMUS the star, again, but DT’s network of European telcos holding firm during highly problematic FY. Top management unclear on picture at T-Sys as orders slump.
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PremiumGuidance: beefed-up DT puts on a show
Up-sized Group uprates earnings again. America providing the main grunt, but Europe also chipping in. Stakeholders still queasy around cash generation, despite Group’s rude health at EBITDA level.