Telefónica Group – Page 58
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Venturing & InvestmentsPayflow banks Wayra backing
Salary-on-demand startup Payflow added €400,000 to its Seed round via a strategic investor trio including Wayra. Wayra family grows but with scaleups now in the crosshairs.
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Venturing & InvestmentsWayra backed LinkApi lands a buyer
Telefónica’s Brazilian scale-up hothouse exits LinkApi through Semantix acquisition. Wayra continues transition to later-stage startups with fourth exit in just over a year.
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Strategy & ChangePlay axed from Telefónica Mexico’s content offering
OB opting to strengthen alliances with other OTT players instead of building out own video content platform. Movistar Play remains live in a host of other Latin American markets, but ambitious growth targets across LatAm far off realisation.
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Innovation (R&D)5G Create: UK MNOs left with bit parts
Another nine projects added to the state-backed funding call. BT/EE, O2, and Three support AR, broadcasting, and logistics use-cases. Emerging players take lead roles.
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Venturing & InvestmentsTwo Movistar Money ventures set for take-off
Consumer finance business green-lighted for launch in Colombia, enabling Group to extend partnership with stakeholder BBVA. Telco also heading trials of similar personal loan service in Mexico, with Banco Sabadell on the scene. Both moves continue recent refresh of Telefónica’s financial services partnerships.
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Network & InfrastructureTelefónica joins European peers in open RAN push
Signs MoU with Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and Vodafone. Aim is to generate greater economies of scale for smaller suppliers through common procurement parameters. Lobbying European governments for open RAN funding high on the agenda. Telefónica makes open RAN advances in Germany, UK.
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Partnerships & AlliancesAmdocs continues LatAm transformation
System services provider Amdocs further extended its Movistar Chile partnership to cover wireline and wireless services, mirroring Brazilian precedent set in 2019. eSIM management platform added on top.
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PremiumElsewhere in Telefónica’s Core Markets: O2 commits to roaming
Regulation relaxed in Spain. O2 commits to roaming. Vivo signs renewables deal.
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Strategy & ChangeElsewhere in Telefónica Group: dev facilities in Catalonia
Support for Spanish as an AI language, research on IoT for agriculture, and applications of technology for social causes explored.
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M&AWholesale power under scrutiny as CMA reviews VM-O2
Proposed JV’s ability to tilt backhaul market in its favour and limit opportunities for MVNOs will be central to competition review. The impact of the deal on the development of providers offering fixed-mobile bundles will receive particular scrutiny. CMA wields new powers post-Brexit, but this is accompanied by greater ...
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PremiumTelefónica people moves: Goncharov, Mesloh to lead German sales
Alpha moonshot unit completes transition as CEO Williams begins new venture. Newly established internal-external venture unit Wayra Builder gets a head. Goncharov appointed to lead O2 Germany’s enterprise unit.
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Products & ServicesTelefónica 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.
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Venturing & InvestmentsWayra plants further capital in Ireland’s SalesOptimize
Ireland-based startup given (another) leg-up by Telefónica’s incubator hub.
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Network & InfrastructureDeutsche Telekom allies with European peers on open RAN
Telco grouping aims to generate greater economies of scale for smaller suppliers through common procurement parameters. Lobbying European governments for open RAN funding high on the agenda.
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M&ATelefónica sells infra biz to American Tower
Telxius finds a home at US infrastructure giant. Transaction expected to wipe €4.6bn off Telefónica net debt.
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PremiumTelefónica people moves: global Tech changes
Recently-established Telefónica Tech subsidiaries bed in across regional outposts. Well-travelled strategy exec lands at O2 UK.
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Partnerships & AlliancesTelefónica in on SEAT’s flagship Spanish e-vehicle plan
Longstanding partner builds-out connected-car alliance with Telefónica. Group lends hand to SEAT’s goal of accelerating electric vehicle adoption in Spain.
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Consumer (B2C)Movistar steps up smart-home drive
Longstanding partner and stakeholder CaixaBank namechecked as partner on TV-based payment solution. Group’s smart-home play given potential leg up by pandemic, with expanded Living Apps catalogue.
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Venturing & InvestmentsTech Ventures looks to unlock Alias Robotics’ full potential
Alias becomes tenth addition to new investment vehicle’s portfolio. EC-backed robot “antivirus” solution to be put on show at Bavarian cybersecurity lab. Importance of cybersecurity solutions for autonomous robots illustrated.
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M&ALiberty homes in on Telefónica units in Colombia and Ecuador
Reports suggest that Liberty Latin America is stepping up its acquisition strategy, and could enable Telefónica to tick two more boxes on its regional divestment list.