All COVID-19 articles – Page 2
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Financial & Performance
Talkmobile revamp takes a knock from COVID-19
Vodafone UK’s bid to refresh side-business Talkmobile gets bogged down as economising customers and intense competition hit revenue. OpCo still sees inhouse MVNO as a useful defence mechanism against low-cost mobile rivals.
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Network & Infrastructure
How CityFibre rolls with supply chain turbulence
Fibre builders not immune from global supply chain chaos. UK altnets feeling the pinch in chip and labour shortages, alongside rising costs. CityFibre supply chain director shares mitigation tactics.
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Elsewhere in Vodafone Group: senior telco execs discuss strategy
Vodafone attends get-together on post-pandemic priorities.
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Strategy & Change
Vodafone ponders risk of depopulated city centres
Operator flags potential threat from fewer people living and working in cities. Population changes affect network planning and investment returns. Analysts say Vodafone not alone in thinking about potential impact.
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H1 FY21–22: Jansen trusts BT Global plan, despite setbacks
CEO focuses on the strategy, rather than current performance, to paint a picture of a viable future for the MNC-focused digital solutions unit. NPS remains a bright spot for Global, highlighting material gains from the BT transformation plan. Declining margins suggest work still to be done on recovery.
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H1 FY21–22: flat figures at BT Consumer do not curb Jansen enthusiasm
Consumer division sees revenue and earnings knock in Q2. Numbers show slow going on multi-play uptake, and star product and service lines being outshone by accessories. Executives remain bullish on the long-term growth promise of convergence, however.
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Network & Infrastructure
Home networks “don’t really have resilience”: Wibergh on Wi-Fi pain points
Vodafone CTO talks end-to-end-experiences, pandemic challenges, and IoT growth.
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Telefónica Q3 FY21: Wary Group sticks to plan as recovery builds
Operator maintains rebound from pandemic with growth in earnings and revenue, and confirmation of guidance. All major OBs in growth and Hispam changes look to be having impact. Executives appear wary of conditions, with inflation and coronavirus lingering. Lid kept on capex as Group asserts discipline. Infra-Tech M&A frenzy ...
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Strategy & Change
TMF’s Willetts: maintaining vendor status quo “dangerous”
Speaking to TelcoTitans, Nik Willetts, CEO of industry body TM Forum, outlined his perceptions of the state of digital transformation in the telecoms sector. Procurement-led vendor management needs to evolve towards partnership for digital acceleration. Hyperscalers can remain more friend than foe as operators seek new ways to differentiate ...
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Operations
Telefónica turning Madrid HQ into digital skills factory
Group ups corporate social responsibility efforts by dedicating real estate to societal pursuit of digital adaption. Talent Hub aims to re-skill 100,000 people per year. Internal skills upgrade high on Group agenda.
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Vodafone Q1 FY21–22: ‘Phase two’ relaunched with M&A sweetener
Some hints of compromise with City overseers as Vodafone re-seeds post-pandemic, digital-led growth plan. New Chairman van Boxmeer appears to be lighting a fire under Group mindset and strategy. M&A talked up as a lever to help Vodafone in the push to revive growth. Another chunk of Vantage could ...
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Vodafone Q1 FY21-22 Headlines: pandemic snags unwind, gradually
Group bounces out of pandemic slump, helped by lapping and increased business confidence. Cautious CEO warns of further “bumps in the road”. In Spain, another large-scale downsizing move made under cover of Digital Telco transformation, and as fodder for Group’s centralisation-led efficiency plans.
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Q1 FY21–21: Consumer slips into recover mode
Work in progress to deliver on the converged, addvalue dream. Initial pandemic bounce back benefits BT Sport, but mobile still in hibernation. Strong performance on FTTP, but rivals stepping up.
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Telefónica claims inflection point as structure shifts
Despite changing perimeters and restatements making a clear view difficult, organic growth across the business offers promise. Guidance improved on positive first half for revenue and profit, but operating cash flow is retreating compared with FY22 goals. Net debt coming down after disposals and restructuring, and Latin American loans ...
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Strategy & Change
DT’s real estate “right-sizing” takes effect
Deutsche Telekom’s property rationalisation, optimisation, and “right-sizing” project, mooted by execs at the Capital Markets Day, has started in earnest. Offices in Ansbach, Flensburg, and Regensburg among the first to change.
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Suppliers & SCM
VPC’s Wilson praises Lenovo for help in pandemic crisis
Ninian Wilson impressed by Lenovo’s ability to meet “huge demand” for laptops when Vodafone call-centre operatives needed to work from home during lockdown. Extends existing Lenovo contract as reward: “when people help you in a crisis you don’t forget”.
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Strategy & Change
COVID adds urgency to Telefónica’s emissions clean-up
Fleet-footed operator shows proactivity on climate change issues in the face of adversity. Market dynamics shift considerably in pandemic world, with ESG considerations now high-priority for shareholders and consumer base. Reducing supplier emissions tops agenda.
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Partnerships & Alliances
Prosegur extends Telefónica tie-up into Colombia
OB distributing security services in three cities, with aim to strengthen customer retention. Telefónica supporting Prosegur’s LatAm expansion plans, with large growth opportunity anticipated. Collaboration now extends beyond Movistar Prosegur Alarmas JV in Spain.
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Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in Vodafone Group: Vodafone Business goes digital
Vodafone Business goes digital on customer experience; SD-WAN adoption hits bumps; telcos team up on handset eco-ratings.
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Q4 FY20–21: Vodacom turns to M&A to turbo-charge change
Fibre expansion back on as Vodacom steps up diversification plans. Operator negotiating potential strategic partnerships across infrastructure assets, as it develops own take on Vodafone’s leaner and lighter TechCo vision. South African group-within-a-group being offered greater freedom by Vodafone than increasingly tightly-controlled businesses in Europe. One question, as it ...