Huawei News
Analysis
Reality check: assessing telco claims of Europe’s High-Risk Supplier crackdown cost — Strand Consult
Guest analysis: with 30% EU exposure remaining, concentrated on 5G RAN, specific countries and three big telcos, John Strand considers media and industry warnings of HRS rip-and-replace costs overstated, evidencing Denmark, the UK and other European markets as showing transition can be managed without derailing 5G rollout. In an age of national security, he also deems it essential for securing future mission-critical contracts.
Network & Infra
Orange presses ahead with XGS-PON in Poland
Orange has also prioritised bringing the 10Gbps‑capable technology to the high‑performing fibre markets of France and Spain.
Analyst Briefing
Vodafonewatch MWC roundup: satcomms centre stage; AI-RAN advancing
Analyst Briefing: Satcomms, D2D, edge compute, and AI-RAN were among the focus areas for Vodafone in Barcelona…
Products & Services
Turkey: Vodafone repositions ahead of ‘largest 5G launch yet’
MWC26: Vodafone Turkey CEO Engin Aksoy says infra is in place, focus now on repositioning commercial approach to leverage 5G once live.
Network & Infra
After fibre tie-ups, Vodafone Spain sounds out MásOrange and Telefónica on RANco idea
Zegona CEO indicates he is discussing shifting Vodafone Spain’s mobile network to a shared grid with either Telefónica or MásOrange, as part of aggressive transformation of the MNO since 2024 buyout. Eamonn O’Hare said it is fully focused on RANco discussions as two fibreco deals near completion, and addresses Vodafone Spain sale speculation and its fraught historical relationship with Vantage Towers…
Marketing
Deutsche Telekom’s ‘T’ remains telco top dog
Estimated worth of Deutsche Telekom’s T logo rises to nearly $100bn in latest Brand Finance report, as group continues to ride wave of growth stateside.
Suppliers & SCM
Telcos face multibillion-euro rip-and-replace project as Brussels moves to ban high-risk vendors
In depth: European Commissioner Henna Virkkunen considers the time is now to take network supply chain security “seriously”, laying out proposals to ban vendors deemed ‘high-risk’. Network operators stand to foot a multibillion-euro rip-and-replace bill, with some only recently signing kit deals with Chinese suppliers…
Analyst Briefing
EMEA Infrawatch: data centre financing surge; investors hesitant on Euro telco infra
Latest on EMEA digital infra: investors’ data centre appetites in spotlight with wave of new European deals; EQT and Omers reportedly firming up €1.7bn Deutsche Glasfaser financing deal; EC pushes back AI Gigafactory tender launch; more…
Partnerships & Alliances
Germany: O2 refreshes Nokia RAN deal for five more years
Operator to implement new solutions and continue using equipment from Nokia in its RAN until 2030. The contract is the latest that has been firmed up by a major European operator in recent months, and comes as Germany seeks to clamp down on 5G equipment from ‘high-risk’ vendors…
Network & Infra
Orange’s Le Roux: IP MPLS layer at halfway point on ‘full softwarisation’ journey
Network X: Orange’s EVP of International Networks drills down into the work the operator is doing to move towards a stateless, disaggregated, new‑generation IP layer that is as‑a‑service by design.
Analyst Briefing
Vodafonewatch Analyst Briefing: RAN overhaul begins with vendor foursome locked in
Latest from Vodafone as the long-awaited Spring 6 procurement closes out, with four vendors named; Vodafone OpCos among the winners in two European spectrum auctions; Google Cloud migration completes in Czechia; TPG shareholder payout may see Vodafone pocket €400m+; and Group trials 6GHz spectrum tech in Germany…