Vodafone Venturing – Page 8
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Partnerships & AlliancesVodafone’s Omani partnership finally goes live
High-profile Partner Markets ally opens up services and stores. Debut comes followed prolonged setup process. Operator stresses “digital-first” credentials. Group executives welcome debut.
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M&AKKR launches Telecom Italia buyout attempt
Offer believed to be worth at least €32bn. Operator shares soar 30% as the news emerges.
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Partnerships & AlliancesSpaceMobile lines up 2022 trials with Vodacom
Chairman Abel Avellan says six-month interconnection and testing programme will follow launch of BlueWalker 3 prototype. Lift-off of giant spacecraft may see slight slippage. US startup adds more MNO partners to go-to-market ahead of 2023 debut.
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Partnerships & AlliancesVodacom in talks over rural wireless alliance
Operator scoping out partners to share investment in thousands of extra sites across its sub-Saharan African footprint. Venture adds to wider technology and business model experimentation by Vodacom, to fund network expansion.
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M&AINWIT continues to fill M&A kitty
Growing Italian TowerCo building up a €1bn platform for deal-making at end of its latest strategic cycle, in FY23. Expansion plans could give co-parent Vodafone another runner in European TowerCo race, beyond main vehicle Vantage Towers.
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M&AVodacom expands into Egypt with Vodafone stake switch
Vodafone to increase its stake in Vodacom to more than 65% following the transaction. Internal deal follows STC’s failed mission to buy Vodafone Egypt during 2020.
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Partnerships & AlliancesVodafone ‘doubles up’ in Serbia
Group’s Partner Markets federation adds Telekom Srbija to its line-up. Deal, which comes amid an attempted revamp of Partner Markets, encroaches on territory already covered by Vodafone’s long relationship with A1 Telekom Austria.
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Venturing & InvestmentsVodafone veterans steer mimik to $14m funding
mimik Technology, founded and led by former Vodafone venturing executives, to use Series-A investment round to develop go-to-market strategy. T-Mobile-backed 5G OI Lab graduate picks up funding from multiple US VCs.
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Venturing & InvestmentsVi can live long and prosper, insists CEO
Takkar welcomes government four-year moratorium on AGR dues and spectrum fees. Confident that relief package paves way for private investment. Vodafone rules out (again) cash injection into JV. Floor pricing issue still to be resolved.
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Partnerships & AlliancesVodafone sees sales dip from international tie-ups
Revenue from Group’s Partner Markets federation falls back amid pandemic and footprint reduction. Vodafone’s flow of cash from Africa takes a drop following rework of M-PESA business.
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Partnerships & AlliancesVodafone Oman opens new HQ
Partner Markets’ greenfield operator expected to launch services “very soon”. Taps Ericsson for network and Netcracker for BSS.
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Venturing & InvestmentsElsewhere in Vodafone Associates & JVs: TPG launches smart farming trial
INWIT banks EIB backing; TPG launches government-funded smart farming trial; Vantage shakes CRA hand for Czech IoT expansion.
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Venturing & InvestmentsVodafone venturing alumni earn No Big Deal backing
Marketing platform provider No Big Deal banks €465,000 in funding to scale in Benelux region. Founded in 2020 by former Vodafone Procurement Company and Tomorrow Street managers Bergstra and Klemetz.
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Partnerships & AlliancesVodacom’s Super App cushioned if “politics” plays up
Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub says operator’s VodaPay Super App smarts are protected if political changes affect Alipay. Alipay technology underpins Vodacom’s financial services growth plans. Super App set for commercial launch in South Africa this month.
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M&AVodacom aims for 100m fintech users on road to sale
CEO Shameel Joosub sets sights on nine-figure base to win better bargaining position with potential buyers and partners. Vodacom taking control of fintech offerings in Ghana and Egypt, to fuel expansion.
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M&ALiberty CEO: call me, Nick, if you want to sell VodafoneZiggo
Mike Fries says Liberty “open-minded” on possibility of transaction with co-parent Vodafone. Management of Dutch JV conducting “strategic review” around issues including infrastructure and content ownership.
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M&AVodafone’s nudge technique gets STC ‘back to table’
Regional media reports indicate that Saudi Telecom Company is seeking to revive a buyout of the Group’s Egyptian business, after failure of 2020 deal. Move follows Vodafone’s exploration of an internal switch of Egyptian OpCo.
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Venturing & InvestmentsVodafone ups investment in collaboration player VOSS
Group contributes to new funding round by long-time unified comms services partner. Rare sign of activity at Group’s startup investment unit Vodafone Ventures. VOSS bidding for growth following pandemic shake-up to business collaboration.
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Partnerships & AlliancesSoftBank: New DT tie-up not a threat to longstanding Vodafone partnership
Japanese telco claims structural separation between strategic agreements with two European majors. Vodafone quiet on the tie-up’s future.
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Venturing & InvestmentsAfrican energy startup borrows $100m for scale-out plan
Safaricom partner Circle Gas secures nine-figure loan to drive expansion in African (and potentially Asian) markets. Targets include Nigeria and neighbouring markets of Kenya and Tanzania, where startup is already present. Capital needed for investment-heavy distribution platform.