All Competition articles – Page 8
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Network & Infrastructure
Telkom calls for Rain-check on Vodacom spectrum tie-up
Complaint to South African Competition Tribunal calls time on spectrum-sharing agreement. Claims competition is at risk, ahead of upcoming spectrum auctions. Vodacom adamant that deals are “pro-competitive”.
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Airtel–Telkom merger falls through
Let-off for Safaricom as its two major mobile competitors remain marooned in sub-scale no-mans-land.
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Network & Infrastructure
BT fires another warning shot over fibre roadblocks
Without the right “policy, legislative and fiscal enablers”, BT warns full-fibre nationwide coverage will not happen until 2033. Government target for universal coverage of “Gigabit-capable broadband” is 2025.
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M&A
Fries and Álvarez-Pallete: two minds on UK JV
While Telefónica and Liberty said to be on same page on O2–Virgin Media integration, respective chiefs hinted at varying concerns and strategic priorities linked to the progress of the JV.
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Network & Infrastructure
Happy campus: German industry embracing private 5G
5G local frequency allocations almost doubled in five months, to 74 organisations. Vodafone first rebuffed, now riding bandwagon with RedBox. Over 47% of identified allocations have gone to IT/network service and technology providers, including Huawei.
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Push for TI-Open Fiber tie up
Italian government signals plan to act as broker. Vodafone Italy rival Telecom Italia expected to retain control of single local access network, at least initially.
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Network & Infrastructure
Cellnex swerves Telxius questions as it builds war chest
Robustly growing tower company with €11bn burning a hole in its pocket. Linked to an investment in Telefónica’s “magnificent” infrastructure division. Cellnex management say keen on operational control over investments.
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Elsewhere in BT Group, July 2020: CAT rules in favour; enterprise tool Onit deploys for BT legal
Long distance truck win; Legal continues to transform.
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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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Public Affairs
Greek mobile players face fresh scrutiny
Independent review finds cause for concern in mobile market competition. Talks underway looking to enforce rate reduction in market dominated by DT’s Cosmote.
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Public Affairs
Vodacom plays ball with CompCom on data pricing
Compromise found to help SA’s low-income groups access mobile data. Price elasticity expected to take sting out of sharp price cuts. Auction of 4G- and 5G-friendly spectrum still slated for late-2020.
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Public Affairs
Vodafone UK, TalkTalk fail in Ofcom challenge
Vodafone UK and rival TalkTalk failed in an initial appeal to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), challenging findings in regulator Ofcom’s 2019 Business Connectivity Market Review.
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“Troubling indications” Telefónica Group destroyed evidence in Phones 4u case
There was a further twist in legal action against three of the UK’s mobile network operators, including Vodafone UK (VfUK), over the collapse of mobile retailer Phones 4u.
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Public Affairs
Three UK’s “real 5G” ad banned after Vodafone, BT complaints
Three UK’s “misleading” 5G advertising campaign was banned after complaints from Vodafone UK (VfUK) and BT.
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Public Affairs
TalkTalk, Vodafone UK Ofcom appeal fires a blank
TalkTalk and Vodafone UK failed in an initial appeal to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) against Ofcom’s decision in the 2019 Business Connectivity Market Review (BCMR) that found Openreach did not have significant market power in the leased line sector in the Central London market.
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Deutsche Telekom starts legal action over Vodafone’s Unitymedia deal
DT and cablecos Netcologne and Tele Columbus file ‘actions for annulment’. Dominance of TV services for the housing market remains a thorn in DT’s side.
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Public Affairs
Magyar Telekom fined for misleading advertising
Magyar Telekom was fined HUF 670m (€1.9m) by competition authority Gazdasági Versenyhivatal for misleading advertising.
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Analyst worries build as BT plans for the future
Confidence in BT’s ability to provide shareholder returns while embracing a full-fibre future is low among the financial community. Longer term prospects may be brighter.
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Strategy & Change
Vodafone's Read talks up tower power (again)
Germanisation of Vodafone continues with choice of Düsseldorf for TowerCo HQ. CEO continues to push for improved asset utilisation in mobile networks, plus sales opportunities. Sharing developments in Germany, India, Italy, Portugal, and UK.
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Vodafone’s Egypt sell-off hits road bump
Vodafone’s plan to sell its majority stake in Vodafone Egypt (VfEg) came up against a road bump