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IBM News
People
Vodafone people moves: Group tech rejig spreads out
Donà and El Sayed share technology leadership at Vodafone UK. Vodafone Business builds out SoHo commercial team. Vodacom draws Paytm’s Kaul as financial services Super App emerges with its first “tenants”. YeboYethu rotates its board, with long‑time Chair Bassa set to leave.
Network & InfrastructureObermann weighs in on sluggish Gaia‑X cloud project
Is the European cloud project doomed before it gets going? Deutsche Telekom is strong supporter, says project has “long way to go”. Enterprises are wary and harbour memories of past failed efforts.
- Suppliers & SCM
Vodafone set to switch on IBM’s blockchain for buyers
Vodafone Procurement Company now actively using Trust Your Supplier platform — a means of simplifying buyer-seller relationships.
- Products & Services
Telefónica teams with IBM to re-wild Cloud Garden
Operator gives digitisation platform a spruce up with Red Hat OpenShift technology. Update provides ‘lingua franca’ to support smooth adoption of digitalisation strategies by Telefónica’s corporate customers.
- Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in Vodafone Europe: 5G tested across the bloc
German rivals jump on campus bandwagon; physical and digital security launches; 5G use-cases explored in Netherlands, Spain, and UK.
- Partnerships & Alliances
T-Systems’ and OVHcloud’s first GAIA-X offering takes shape
GAIA-X project gathers pace, as T‑Systems and OVHcloud share details of first commercial services to be launched early next year. Deutsche Telekom remains strong supporter of GAIA-X. Largest cloud providers pledge support for project’s principles, but there are signs of regulatory headwinds ahead.
- Suppliers & SCM
Movistar taps Nokia for automation‑led OSS upgrade
Operator implements near‑zero touch automation to increase operational efficiency.
- Innovation (R&D)
UK 5G innovation: 5G Create
DCMS‑funded projects take £16m in grants for 5G use‑cases. Automation, broadcasting, and XR among the technologies. BT, O2, and Three participate.
- Partnerships & Alliances
Vi extends IBM remit to big data analytics
Latest IBM deal in India brings Hadoop back into the fold.
- Vendor Voice
F5: telcos need allies for digital leap forward
In an interview with BTwatch, key figures from F5’s European operations discuss the application security service provider’s relationship with BT Group in the wake of securing a place on the telco’s streamlined list of 15 certified security partners. Richard Holben, the vendor’s BT Global Account Manager, and Ian Harris, ...
- Partnerships & Alliances
T-Systems talks up mainframe business and IBM ties
New mainframe training programmes in place to replace old hands who will shortly retire. T-Sys has “thickest deal pipeline” in mainframe business since 2012.
- Partnerships & Alliances
Aurachain and Telekom Romania renew ties
Pair behind government furlough payments project. Remote working platforms added to enterprise package for COVID‑hit customers. Höttges: “hybrid office” viability bolstered.
- Suppliers & SCM
Vodafone moves business support functions to S/4HANA
Upgrade simplifies finance, human resources, and supply chain. Long‑time suppliers SAP, Accenture complete project in 18 months, after more than a year of preparation. Vodafone Germany opts for IBM’s help with SAP S/4HANA migration.
- Network & Infrastructure
Symantec absent as BT picks key security partners
Slimmed‑down list of partners expected to simplify the BT Security sales pitch while ensuring an effective and synchronised managed services wrap. Tenacious smaller vendors maintain a role in the ecosystem, but sector giant Check Point’s role modest, and well‑established ally Symantec off the radar.
- Network & Infrastructure
VfGr deploys Red Hat’s Quarkus to improve boot times
Rejig painted as giving Digital eXperience Layer a speed upgrade.
- Partnerships & Alliances
DT signs up to IBM’s blockchain buyer group
Trust Your Supplier consortium, launched in 2019, aims to ensure sellers are who they say they are.
- Analysis
Deutsche Telekomwatch roundup - May 2020
DTCP invest in SafeBreach and cash in on video conferencing software Blue Jeans; hub:raum co-led blockchain investment round in Ubirch. Tim Höttges rotates for Adel Al-Saleh on BT board. TMUS confirmed contracts with Bandwidth Inc, Avangrid Renewables, and AWS’ A2I solution.
- Suppliers & SCM
T-Mobile US talks up IBM integration at Think Digital
Data Analytics executive Eskigun flags supply chain optimisation driven by IBM Cloud Pak for Data. IBM uses virtual conference to launch new Cloud Pak and Watson capabilities.
- Partnerships & Alliances
Telefónica backs lobbyist drive for Huawei alternatives
New group effectively the political wing of operator‑led efforts to develop an open RAN ecosystem, with major integrated network vendors conspicuously absent. Nokia gatecrashes launch party.
- Enterprise (B2B)
Report shows battles ahead on BT government contracts
BT the clear leader in public sector communications, but Virgin Media proving an increasingly viable challenger. New contracts flowing through, but prospect of significant contract expiration by the end of 2020 flagged.
- Network & Infrastructure
BT inks outsourcing deal with IBM
Group outsources mainframe service management.
- Strategy & Change
Telefónica maintains its links as markets adapt
SME suppliers in Spain thrown an early lifeline as Group takes steps to keep supply chain moving. O2 Germany reopening stores and account switching restrictions are eased in Spain. O2 UK focuses on supporting health services, but engineers at risk as 5G conspiracy suspicions lead to vandalism and assaults. ...
