All United Kingdom (UK) articles
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PeopleEx-Telefónica exec Mark Evans joins MCE Systems advisory board
Former O2 Chief Executive Mark Evans and member of the Telefónica’s Executive Committee has landed an advisory role at device lifecycle management firm MCE Systems after leaving the Group in January.
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Public AffairsUK Court of Appeal sides with operators in latest Phones 4u ruling
The UK Court of Appeal has decisively ruled against Phones 4u’s long-running allegations of collusion among major operators, leaving the retailer to consider its final legal options and face substantial costs…
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Financial & PerformanceCityFibre secures £2.3bn war chest to lead UK altnet scaleup round
UK’s largest altnet finalises funding aimed at accelerating operations and driving fibreco consolidation. The question now is ‘what next for Virgin Media O2, its mothballed NetCo spinout, and nexfibre sidecar?’. Read more…
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Partnerships & AlliancesVodafone adds Euro-heft to unbalanced AI-RAN Alliance
Vodafone’s entry into the AI-RAN Alliance takes the still-young vendor- and academic- and Asian-operator-heavy consortium past 100 members. With the AI-RAN market forecast to reach $10bn by 2030, the move underscores the strategic importance of efficiency gains and new revenue opportunities through autonomous networks.
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Innovation (R&D)BT opens up key testing platform to startup as it pursues quantum collaboration
Sheffield-based quantum encryption hardware specialist Sitehop tests and integrates its solution on the Gemini facility at Adastral Park.
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M&ATelefónica to take control of FiBrasil JV in €132m deal
Telefónica’s Brazilian business has agreed a deal to buy out its fibre joint venture partner in a further sign that the Spanish group is now keen to up consolidation and control over past infrastructure side-ventures.
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Venturing & InvestmentsUK gov allocates €163m to Eutelsat fundraising
UK government earmarks sizeable contibution as part of French satellite operator’s €1.5bn funding round. Eutelsat plans to expand OneWeb LEO constellation, shift towards enterprise- and government-focused go-to-market model. Read more…
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Weekly BriefingsUK Infrawatch Analyst Briefing: speed race hots up, gov gives and takes, PIA protested
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK, including: Sky boost for CityFibre and consumer broadband speeds, government promises advanced connectivity investment, SRN goals scaled back; altnets lobby on PIA changes; people moves, and plenty more…
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Weekly BriefingsBTwatch Analyst Briefing: the scale of the altnet challenge
Latest from BT, including a look at the threat faced by Openreach as fibre altnets mature; PIA in focus as Fibrus co-founder questions the incumbent’s duct and pole access pricing; BT Group’s embrace of third-party IT support tools in a bid to cut costs, drive digital transformation; more…
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Partnerships & AlliancesSky marks CityFibre go-live with 5Gbps launch
UK ISP launches new Full Fibre Gigafast+ offerings, supporting speeds of up to 5Gbps for premises connected to CityFibre’s infrastructure. CityFibre CEO Greg Mesch says the deal will help to “deliver a healthy, competitive market for the long-term”…
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InterviewFibrus founder decries PIA “margin squeeze”, calls out Ofcom to fix rural fibre build
Interview: Northern Ireland FibreCo hero says Openreach’s duct and pole sharing terms “just wrong”, undermining rural fibre investment. Outspoken chair Conal Henry proposes “fair bet” pricing overhaul, calls on Ofcom to fix its error in latest sector Review…
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Strategy & ChangeBoldyn restructures European biz in strategic rethink
International neutral host player shapes European subsidiary to manage operations in the continent, with the goal of “accelerating market momentum and unlocking new opportunities”. Read more…
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Deep DiveUK Fibre: altnet optimism vindicated over time as take-up erodes incumbent dominance
In depth: Eight Advisory’s latest Tracker shines light on altnet challenge to Openreach, with mature cohorts reaching parity and fibre insurgency continuing amidst land-grab tactics. TelcoTitan’s analysis explores linear trajectory of upstarts, impact of overbuild, continued testing of investor patience, and whether the UK can truly sustain more than two major platforms…
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Suppliers & SCMVendor rebellion: why major operators are ditching Oracle and VMware support contracts
BT and Telefónica are the first of numerous telcos to go on the record challenging software vendor dominance by shifting legacy IT support to third-party specialists. This analysis explores how Spinnaker Support is helping them slash costs, extend end-of-life IT, and reallocate resources…
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Peoplegiffgaff seeks new CEO as Schofield steps down
Ash Schofield is to step down from the helm of VM O2 side-brand by the end of 2025, kicking off a succession hunt.
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Weekly BriefingsBTwatch Analyst Briefing: state-backed infra advances with varying success
Latest developments from BT, including: varying pace of public-backed projects ESN, Project Gigabit, R100, and SRN; buying chief Cyril Pourrat on AI momentum; RCS innovation with Brand Assure; Middle Eastern DHL deal; more…
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Network & InfrastructureUK gov pares back Shared Rural Network targets in strategic rethink
Building Digital UK scales back plans for further rural 4G coverage expansion after hitting initial Shared Rural Network targets early. Strategy shift comes after discussions with local communities and interest groups, with BDUK aiming to maximise coverage while delivering “best value for public money”.
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Network & InfrastructureVM O2, VodafoneThree firm up €401m spectrum deal to redress the ‘imbalance’
Following VodafoneThree’s merger completion, VM O2 outlines the spectrum it plans to acquire.
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Network & InfrastructureUK energy provider plots £3.9bn dive into data centres
Apatura announces plans to construct 550MW data centre in North Lanarkshire, with hopes of winning government backing through AI Growth Zone initiative. Site is one of several that the energy business is developing across Scotland’s central belt.
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Suppliers & SCMBT’s buying boss wants AI to move faster, looks to startups to lead the way
BT Sourced head Cyril Pourrat reflects on missed expectations around ‘speed of execution’ on AI deployments, but remains confident that the tech delivers when embraced by colleagues.