EMEA Telco Leaders – Page 169
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Financial & Performance
Openreach accelerates provisioning to leave rivals in starting blocks
CEO Clive Selley on fibre build: phase one is “done”; now onto “selling and populating” stage. Bullish Business Briefing shows Openreach determined to establish its ‘fibre franchise’ as a marketplace while rivals strive for scale. Build process moving towards cruise control with Openreach cornering the market in skills.
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Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in Spain: Spain looking to grow O2 budget play
O2 brand to appear in Movistar shop window as part of ongoing retail revamp; Telefónica Empresas takes on digitisation challenge in rural banks.
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M&A
T-Systems sale speculation resurfaces
Reports in German media indicate DT could pare back ownership of — and exposure to — its long-challenged enterprise IT business. Suggestions point to a possible three-way deal in 2022.
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Strategy & Change
Vodafone seeks experts for skills hubs in Dresden and Málaga
Recruitment process currently looks more active in Málaga than Dresden.
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Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in Germany: O2 Germany launches Easy IoT
Outsourced payroll automation on the move; O2 showcases real-world 5G developments.
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Premium
O2 Germany pushes back on 5GC rollout
Operator “fully on track” to meet coverage targets, but stalls on 5GC. Will not roll out 5G SA on a large-scale until it offers “real added value for customers”. Puts Huawei base station antenna innovation through its paces at 5G Tech City project in Munich.
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Network & Infrastructure
Vodafone CEO open to fibre JVs in Germany
Read exploring off-balance sheet financing and infrastructure partnerships to meet FTTP demand. Retains the love for HFC, however; believes network upgrades across cable footprint will meet consumers’ broadband requirements for some time yet. Della Valle pointedly notes that mid-term capex fixed guidance does not include FTTP buildouts.
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Strategy & Change
DT retains “strategic partnership” with Hungary
DT CEO Höttges meets with Hungarian PM. Operator’s local unit Magyar Telekom accelerates developments in the country.
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Partnerships & Alliances
SpaceMobile 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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Vendor Voice
Oracle: Cloud evolution must be business-led for digital SPs
For many years, the telecoms industry has been attempting the balancing act of managing the decline of traditional services while extracting the full value of decades of massive investment in the operational systems that enable them. The challenge of escaping this ‘technology debt’ has now been heightened by a ...
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Premium
Operators sign second mobile pact for NRW
North Rhine-Westphalia steps up ambitions to be Germany’s leading 5G location. Markus Haas said operators have agreed to build 1,000 new sites in exchange for faster permits. Tower lease costs rising in line with expectations as network expands. CFO Rolle signals caution on FTTP buildout.
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Strategy & Change
O2 brand to appear in Movistar shop window
Reports indicate Movistar will trial O2-branded fixed and mobile services in its Telyco stores ahead of a potential broader rollout. News comes after loosened regional restrictions, allowing discounted O2 services in hundreds of new municipalities.
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Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in Telefónica Group: €100m spent on HQ digital refurb
Telefónica splashes out €100m on HQ digital refurb; Prosegur plots LatAm expansion with “ally” Telefónica.
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Financial & Performance
Vodafone: DT and Orange are ‘credible’ tower merger partners
Read confirms either of Vodafone’s big European rivals could end up being an ally as noise continues to increase around an “industrial merger” for Group’s Vantage Towers business.
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Venturing & Investments
Höttges: “All options open” for BT stake
Patrick Drahi free to make bigger move on BT from 11 December. French billionaire is planning to increase BT stake, reports Reuters. Sources say any move likely to involve DT. Höttges keeps cards close to chest.
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Network & Infrastructure
Vantage states ‘clear interest’ in Cornerstone buyout
Vodafone’s European TowerCo eyes opportunities in Netherlands and UK as partners Liberty and Telefónica look to cash in on wireless infrastructure assets. Strategic tie-up between Vantage and another MNO TowerCo also remains a possibility.
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Premium
BT people moves: new chief at BT Defence
Cole takes reins from retiring Boyle at BT Enterprise’s Defence division. Architecture directors named at BT Digital. EE’s Bennett joins host of former BT execs at challenger Freshwave. Shuter’s innovation and investment arm Division X makes two senior changes.
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Network & Infrastructure
Höttges seeks to bring balance to future tower tie-up
Deutsche Telekom CEO seeks to lure tower partner with promise of hands-off approach to managing the business, allowing it to flourish “independently”. Picky operator unenthusiastic about approaches taken by rivals to tower extraction, including Vodafone’s Vantage Towers IPO earlier in the year.
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Financial & Performance
Accenture taps into DT’s tech revamp with ERP takeover
DT CEO highlights “specific” outsourcing move as an example of Group’s progress and focus on cost reduction. Deal forms part of €100m–€200m IT value chain recalibration DT planning by FY24. Q3 results see DT continuing US-led growth, raising guidance on back of revenue and cash flow boost.
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Partnerships & Alliances
BT Group appoints pensions advisory partner
XPS Pensions Group will support BT’s established in-house team.