UK
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Financial & PerformanceBT CEO snubs fibre M&A, doubling down on Openreach organic growth — despite accelerating line losses
Q2 FY25–26: Allison Kirkby showed little enthusiasm at thought of mopping up fibre altnets as part of much-anticipated consolidation, instead insisting Openreach is best focused on its own game, and set up to beat any incursion — notwithstanding line losses accelerating alarmingly…
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Network & InfraBT taps Starlink to ‘bridge’ fibre gaps in rural reaches
UK telco becomes the latest operator to tie with Starlink to improve rural connectivity offerings for customers. “Landmark” deal follows experimentation with the technology in recent years, with rivals having unveiled their own satellite connectivity plans…
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Analyst BriefingVodafonewatch: satellite deals, towers sales
Latest Vodafone Analyst Briefing: including moves in satellite and direct-to-device; a progress report from VodafoneZiggo on performance and a planned wireless infra divestment; installation of a new CEO at Vantage Towers; and more share price volatility at Vi…
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PeopleVodafone and BT veteran joins Boldyn board
Rob Shuter, former CEO at BT Enterprise and a veteran Vodafone fixer, has been added to Boldyn’s Board of Directors, with the neutral host player seeking to tap his finance and telecoms experience in decision-making…
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PeopleQuickline CEO departs in top-level leadership refresh
Rural-focused UK altnet appoints finance and transformation expert Mark Bowden as CEO, with Sean Royce moving to take on an advisory role. Quickline also draws from its ranks to name a new CFO…
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Venturing & InvestmentsEquinix ploughs £3.9bn into UK data centre build
International data centre operator acquires work-in-progress Hertfordshire site, with plans to develop more than 250MW of IT capacity in the future. Equinix’s move is the latest multibillion-pound investment in UK data centres, with several others seen in recent years…
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M&ANetomnia takeout rumours: first billion-dollar M&A for UK fibre?
Deep dive: Reports suggest Netomnia is in play, with cashed-up nexfibre/VM O2 and CityFibre tagged as frontrunners in the race to build a national fibre challenger to Openreach. TelcoTitans Infrawatch explores the backdrop, leading players (including Liberty Global and Telefónica), netco-servco dichotomy, and likeliest outcomes…
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Analyst BriefingUK Infrawatch Analyst Briefing: banks wobble, equity plays chicken, altnets play baddies
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK, including: Voneus calls bankers’ bluff, INCA anticipates altnet dominance, nexfibre seeks consolidation jumpstart, and plenty more…
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Partnerships & AlliancesVirgin Media O2 ties with Starlink on direct-to-device services
Operator to launch its first direct-to-device satellite services in partnership with the US LEO constellation provider, deepening the pair’s existing relationship while seeking to keep pace with rivals already exploring the segment…
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Analyst BriefingVodafonewatch Analyst Briefing: pragmatic Vodafone finds subsea ‘niche’
Latest from Vodafone, including the Group’s latest subsea venture “off the beaten track” as the operator concedes transatlantic routes to hyperscalers; UK fibre challenger Netomnia chooses VodafoneThree for imminent MVNO; and more open RAN vendors shout about Vodafone deals following Spring 6 procurement…
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Financial & PerformanceEquity vs debt: who blinks first in UK fibre consolidation showdown?
In-depth: While sector consolidation presents complexity for altnets seeking to evolve, challenges faced by financial backers invested through equity and loan facilities should not be underestimated.
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Consumer (B2C)BT weighs budget mobile flip-flop as MVNO competition hots up — report
Rumours resurface of a B-brand mobile revival, just 18 months after BT pulled Plusnet out of the segment. While CEO Allison Kirkby’s return to multi-brand in consumer may well require a targeted discount marque to match rivals, also-mooted MVNO acquisition would be more surprising…
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Strategy & ChangeUK’s Netomnia targets ISP giants with YouMobile MVNO
Fibre altnet and wannabe convergence player set to launch mobile by the end of the year, piggybacking on the VodafoneThree network. CFO Wil Wadsworth and CEO Jeremy Chelot have sights set on the UK’s FMC establishment…
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M&AJersey and Isle of Man telcos combine to drive scale
Operator Jersey Telecom partners with investment group CVC DIF to acquire the Isle of Man’s largest telco, aligning with its expansion strategy…
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PeopleBoldyn CEO Leprince bids farewell to neutral host player
Leprince signals departure plan in a move described as a “highly emotional decision”, as he reflected on Boldyn’s transformation and accomplishments during his tenure. Search for successor kicked-off.
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Innovation30 years down, 5+ to go before BT’s quantum vision comes to life
Capacity Europe 2025: Senior Research Manager Andrew Lord remains optimistic about quantum secure communications, but sought-after commercial use cases still five-to-ten years away. QKD a valid ‘stepping stone’, and satellite may boost momentum, but supply chain ‘fragility’ remains a stumbling block…
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InterviewINCA CEO: ‘job done’ when altnets join Openreach as industry ‘baddies’
INCA Summit 2025: With consolidation looming and the next Telecoms Access Review on the horizon, the UK’s fibre landscape is at a tipping point. Altnets, however, are still reeling from (pantomime) villain Openreach’s latest pricing initiative, with disappointment at Ofcom inertia, and suspicion the incumbent is testing what it can get away with…
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Partnerships & AlliancesLifecycle Software pulls up on Tomorrow Street
Billing solutions provider with an MVNO focus the latest name to join the Vodafone‑backed incubator’s Scaleup X programme.
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Network & InfraEurope moots UK tech tie-up on new-gen IRIS² satellite system
European Space Agency official signals openness to UK direct involvement in €10bn+ IRIS2 regional satellite mega-project and Starlink rival, which also has a defence aspect…
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Network & InfraUK MNOs bag equal share of mmWave spectrum in £39m auction
BT, VodafoneThree, and Virgin Media O2 share the spoils in Ofcom’s delayed auction, each committing £13m for 26GHz and 40GHz spectrum, but not all MHz are equal…