All European Union (EU, EC, EP) articles – Page 8
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Network & Infrastructure
Vantage eyes €1bn EU fund for 5G roads and railways
TowerCo gets its motor running to head out on the 5G highway. Pursues EU-funded 5G Corridor projects. European Commission targets 5G coverage on all transport routes by 2025 and allocates €1bn for cross-border network projects.
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Public Affairs
Telefónica handed EC fine for Brazilian non-compete deal
Decade-long proceedings close with Telefónica — along with Pharol — ordered to hand over €79m for antitrust breach. European Commission findings upheld despite yo-yoing, with final charge held for Telefónica and down slightly for Pharol.
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M&A
Vodafone under M&A spotlight in Italy, UK
Group reportedly in consolidation talks with Iliad in Italy. A potential merger with Three UK was also apparently explored. Vodafone keeps head down as rumours swirl. Read keen advocate of European in-market consolidation.
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Strategy & Change
DT’s Leroy backs Greek digitalisation plans
Head of Europe Dominique Leroy joins the campaign trail to promote Greek investment via OTE minority subsidiary. €3bn full-fibre investment plan in action to support national digital transformation. Bureaucracy remains a sticking point.
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Strategy & Change
DT wants another turn on Greek “rollercoaster”
CFO of Greek NatCo OTE’s parent division reminisces on challenges DT has faced in the country since ill-timed 2008 entrance. German operator remains “committed” to the country and optimistic regarding digitalisation opportunities. Call made for action on tax, regulation, and bureaucracy to improve return-on-capital, however.
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Products & Services
Droniq hails success of first U-Space trial in Germany
Deutsche Telekom JV wants to become Germany’s first U-Space provider. EU U-Space regulation set to apply from January 2023. Droniq and Deutsche Funkturm are applying for a joint licence for aerial tower inspections.
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Premium
Vodafone joins European telco call for open RAN help
Group signs off on Analysys Mason report recommending that European policymakers financially stimulate the region’s open RAN ecosystem. Report also backed by Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telecom Italia, and Telefónica. Wibergh says “Europe needs to urgently prioritise open RAN” to avoid slipping further behind Asia and USA.
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Strategy & Change
Telco leaders converge on Bilbao for ‘secret’ strategising
Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica, and Vodafone represented at the latest European Round Table event. Behind-closed-doors discussions focused on decarbonisation, skills transformation, and single market competition.
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Strategy & Change
DT’s Ahrens reaffirms commitment to Gaia-X amid turbulence
T-Systems CTO Maximilian Ahrens sees DT as a “bridge builder” for Gaia-X. Chairman of European cloud association insists it is still in startup phase and accepts “an element of needing to find ourselves”. Summit marked by reported sponsorship row and France-based Scaleway become first major member to exit the ...
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Strategy & Change
Spain’s ‘big three’ agitate for consolidation
Top execs at Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone indicate ‘enough is enough’ in Spain’s hyper-competitive market. Telefónica Group COO says Spanish incumbent can play “facilitator role” for consolidation in a market that is “not sustainable”. Vodafone CEO’s patience running out on low returns from southern Europe; looking to “actively engage” ...
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Partnerships & Alliances
UK telcos face missing out on Horizon Europe funding
Political brinkmanship between London and Brussels threatens access to €95.5bn R&D pot. UK preps Discovery Fund as alternative, but unlikely to match largesse of Horizon Europe.
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Network & Infrastructure
BT says 5G-VINNI paves way for E2E network slicing
Muschamp hails EU-funded project a success in laying groundwork to support “end-to-end” 5G network slicing across multiple sites and different vendors’ equipment. By exposing inadequacies of current industry standards, claims Muschamp, industry better placed to develop a standardised approach and avoid margin-squeezing headache of bespoke deployments. BT expects to ...
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Strategy & Change
OVHcloud IPO to fuel Europe’s “cloud champion”
T-Systems’ Gaia-X partner to go public this week. European cloud provider plans to take on US tech giants with data sovereignty credentials. Growth plans include bulking up through acquisitions.
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Network & Infrastructure
Portugal’s auction pain continues as Spain shines on digital
Sale process now at 178 days and counting. Nick Read continues to sing praises of Spain’s example on digitisation. The CEO again warns that Europe is lagging on 5G and digital infrastructure.
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Innovation (R&D)
BT quantum-secures hollow core fibre in trial
QKD hook-up with Lumenisity HCF pitched as world first. Lord says trial “accelerates the UK’s lead in quantum technologies”. Widespread HCF deployment still some way off, however.
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Enterprise (B2B)
Vodafone’s Read wants Europe to ‘do a Spain’ on digital
Group CEO makes reference to €3bn budget for digitalisation of small businesses. Move chimes with existing Vodafone Business strategy to focus on SMEs.
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Network & Infrastructure
Cell Broadcast readied in Germany’s post flood re-build
The long-mooted Cell Broadcast warning system gets preliminary greenlight from German government in response to apparent vulnerabilities exposed during July’s flash floods. Deutsche Telekom already has its hand up as a bidder for any government tender for the infrastructure project, worth an estimated €40m. O2, Telekom Deutschland, and Vodafone ...
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Network & Infrastructure
Deutsche Telekom joins the 6G conversation
Operator shares vision for 6G and desire to shape the evolution. DT view: 6G will be sustainable, carbon-neutral, and human-centric. More 6G funds available as Germany invests €685m and EU allocates €900m.
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Suppliers & SCM
Vodafone Group furthers shake-up with open RAN vendor picks
Capgemini Engineering, Dell Technologies, Keysight Technologies, NEC, Samsung, and Wind River selected for commercial UK deployment. Vodafone top brass insists that accelerating the pace of RAN innovation, rather than cost reduction, is initial the strategic driver for open RAN rollout. Quietly trimming UK open RAN site commitment from 2,600 ...
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Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in Vodafone Europe: Canary Islands’ Subsea cable
Subsea cable to the Canary Islands; mce tapped for device self-assessment.