All TelcoTitans.com articles in Telefónicawatch #144
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Digital Reports
Telefónicawatch Report #144 – June-July 2020
Key stories include: Tech crosses paths with ElevenPaths | Google Cloud ties deepened in Spain | US ratchets Huawei pressures in Brazil | Vodafone rejigs Spain FTTP relationship | Ericsson’s UK 5G brief expanded
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M&A
EU: Vestager nod set to prompt regional consolidation race
Vestager distracts from four-to-three merger demands by highlighting potential for creation of pan-European big beasts. But is this feasible in any imminent iteration of Europe, beyond cross-border infrastructure ventures envisaged by Orange?
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Network & Infrastructure
O2 gives 4G a pre-tie-up top-up
UK operating business seeks to bolster “national champion” pitch ahead of Virgin Media merger. Focus is on eliminating 4G ‘not-spots’ and boosting 4G and 5G coverage at tourist attractions.
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Network & Infrastructure
Germany makes Huawei wait
A decision on Chinese vendors’ involvement in German 5G deployment sees another delay, and is now (tentatively) expected for September 2020. Huawei security concerns remain central to opposition, with operators forced to make hedge their bets in the meantime.
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Premium
Telefónica deepens Google Cloud ties in Spain
Partnership aims to “accelerate” digital transformation for Spanish businesses. Focus is on joint development of mobile edge computing solutions for 5G. Telefónica Tech slated for service delivery. Deal comes on heels of similar arrangement with Microsoft.
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Premium
Telefónica sets eyes on COVID restart; announcements across all markets: Telefónicawatch roundup June-July 2020
Telefónica joined Restarting Together COVID-19 recovery programme, absent from ETSI’s E4P scheme, and one of 53 large companies to take a Bank of England emergency loan. TIWS test LEO satellite; ElevenPaths gets AWS security certification. Announcements across Telefónica’s core markets include ongoing 5G/China drama in the UK; Brazilian network-sharing ...
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Premium
Ashford joins Helios as NED; de Beer and Genish elected to Veon board
Telefónica Group alumni people movements for June-July 2020.
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Premium
Rames Sarwat gets CRO spot; Wayra UK brings in Zenzic’s Poppy Dowell
Rames Sarwat gets CRO spot; Wayra UK brings in Zenzic’s Poppy Dowell Source: ElevenPaths Rames Sarwat, ElevenPaths’ Chief Revenue Officer CompanyExecutiveActivityDetails Source: Telefónica, various. ElevenPaths Rames Sarwat New role Rames ...
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Premium
Ex Telfisa Director joins Telefónica; Azevedo named Group Regulatory Strategy Director
Telefónica Group people movements for June-July 2020.
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Premium
Teté Soto named O2 UK Director of Transformation; MVNO Tesco Mobile gets new CMO
Telefónica people movements across European and Hispanoamérican OBs.
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Strategy & Change
Telefónica Tech crosses paths with ElevenPaths
Tech division to absorb in-house cybersecurity unit, say “industry sources”. ElevenPaths CEO Pedro Pablo Pérez not going anywhere, it seems.
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Strategy & Change
O2 seeks to benefit from post-COVID-19 era
O2 UK turns sell-to relationships on store technology into commercial partnerships. Operator creates new suite of digital solutions to resolve social distancing challenges, using technology from two startups originally incubated by Wayra UK.
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M&A
Fries on VM-O2 merger: don’t mention the tax breaks
Liberty Global anticipates substantial opportunities for savings by injecting Virgin Media tax losses into O2, but Fries wary that such behaviour may not chime with goal of creating new UK “national champion”.
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M&A
Telefónica wraps up Atresmedia content JV
New joint venture Buendía Estudios is to be 50% owned by each partner.
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Strategy & Change
O2’s Haas lukewarm over Germany’s rural wirelessco
Operator predictably wary over the potential of planned mobile infrastructure company to disrupt MNOs, despite rural-focused mandate.
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Suppliers & SCM
Telefónica in a bind as US pressures Brazil on Huawei
US Ambassador warns of financial cost to Brazil of permitting Huawei 5G presence, while talking up favourable loans for Ericsson and Nokia kit. Comments follow fulsome praise for Chinese vendor from Telefónica|Vivo CEO as an innovative and trusted partner.
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Enterprise (B2B)
Telefónica veteran lights Rio with Smart Luz tender
Smart Luz consortium wins tender to overhaul Rio street lighting; Consortium includes High-Trend, founded by ex-TBS CEO Juan Revilla.
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Network & Infrastructure
O2 UK expands Ericsson’s 5G brief
Swedish vendor gains backing role as O2 goes west with 5G network.
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M&A
Telefónica Deutschland confirms tower switch
German operating business to transfer 10,100 sites to Telxius for €1.5bn. Transaction to reduce Telefónica’s net debt by €500m between 2020 and 2021, but won’t slow down its accelerated capex drive. Telxius portfolio has doubled since 2016.
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Network & Infrastructure
UK rail connectivity on the right track with O2 partnership
Newcastle to Edinburgh route gets connectivity boost thanks to LNER-O2 UK partnership.