All articles by Joseph Purnell
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Network & Infrastructure
Proptivity onboards UK MNOs; Swedish neutral host offers to shoulder 5G capex burden
Swedish neutral host enters UK market with BT, VM O2, and Vodafone on board, with discussions taking place for inaugural deployments.
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: AI leadership overhaul; Openreach turns to intent-based networking
Latest from BT as New Year people changes make for evolution at BT Digital; Openreach taps government grant funding for more rural fibre contracts; India promoted as more than just an engineering outpost; and Nokia takes a central spot in Openreach SDN…
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Network & Infrastructure
Vodacom, Orange target rural 4G in DRC tower tie-up
Pair announce TowerCo joint venture with rural Democratic Republic of Congo communities in mind.
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People
BT Data & AI chief Deepika Adusumilli exits
BT now ‘working through’ leadership requirements in data space after confirmation of Chief Data & AI Officer’s departure.
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People
BT Peoplewatch: Group brings in more consultancy high-flyers
30+ senior and strategic moves across BT and its ecosystem, including another handful of joiners from EY and McKinsey to lead the transformation agenda; another significant Data & AI switch; security swaps in Europe; and a pair of BT Defence changes…
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Weekly Briefings
Vodafonewatch Weekly: space wranglings, Indian reset
Latest from Vodafone, including a reset in India; words of warning from ex-Group CEO Vittorio Colao; strategic changes to European OpCo leadership; and the threat of more legal trouble in the UK…
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Operations
BT electrifies fleet, charges on with EV infra transition
The BT/Openreach fleet inches towards zero emissions with a 3,500-vehicle order from Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, and Renault, backed by gov grants. Challenges remain, but Etc.’s charging pilot rolls on with a new focus…
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Network & Infrastructure
Openreach chases ‘one network’ architecture with Nokia Altiplano deployment
Access provider confirms Altiplano onboarding, adding further Nokia presence to FTTP infra.
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Network & Infrastructure
Ericsson christens telco API venture ‘Aduna’, installs CEO
Vonage exec Anthony Bartolo appointed CEO of Aduna, the Ericsson-led network API joint venture.
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People
Vodafone Peoplewatch: Italian migration, Balkans CxO swaps
20+ senior and strategic changes across the Vodafone Group footprint, including a wave of changes following creation of Fastweb + Vodafone in Italy; ExCo changes in Albania, Czechia, and Greece; a swift return for Vi’s CTSO; more in Africa, Group HQ, elsewhere…
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: full fibre flying, NaaS launch imminent
Latest from BT and its ecosystem, including more Project Gigabit contracts for Openreach; a strong showing in Clive Selley’s 2024 review; Colin Bannon promotes Global Fabric potential in AI age; and more…
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Network & Infrastructure
UK’s Project Gigabit: billions committed, but just 1.6% take-up at last count
Nearly four years in, government’s Project Gigabit spend reaches £2.2bn with latest Openreach contracts, but connections faltering at just 11,000 as commitments and subsidies yet to translate to boots on the ground. With another £400m in the procurement pipeline for 2025, when will cash finally convert to real impact? In depth non-chummy review of UK rural fibre programme inside…
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Strategy & Change
Vi to leverage lessons as 5G spectator as it plots March launch
5G launch on track for go-live by the end of March, with CEO Akshaya Moondra apparently plotting aggressive pricing strategy to catch up with rivals.
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Weekly Briefings
Vodafonewatch Weekly: Italian deal done to kickstart 2025
Latest from Vodafone and its ecosystem, including the Italian divestment; more federal funding in Germany; a reprieve in India for embattled Vi; and a significant Chinese tie-up in Egypt…
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People
Balkans boss Katia Stathaki exits Vodafone
Former Vodafone Albania and Vodafone Business Greece CEO Katia Stathaki moves on to “next chapter of my work life”.
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M&A
Swisscom completes Vodafone Italy takeover, begins integration
Vodafone Italy transfers to Swisscom ownership ahead of schedule, with Fastweb integration initiated.
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Strategy & Change
Global Fabric: BT’s ‘biggest bet’ will be ticket to ride AI wave
BT Business CTO Colin Bannon has positioned NaaS proposition Global Fabric as the Group’s route to benefiting from an incoming wave of AI RoI.
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Network & Infrastructure
Vi gains spectrum payment reprieve, hints at more network spend in response
India’s Department of Telecommunications waives deferred spectrum obligations, freeing Vi of up to INR 248bn burden.
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Weekly Briefings
Infrawatch Weekly: fibre ups and downs; telcos lean into data centre deals
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK and beyond, including a DC sale in Ireland; UK fibre altnet plans from new INCA CEO Paddy Paddison; another Project Gigabit stumble; a world-first satellite claim from One NZ; plus strategic executive moves and plenty more…
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Products & Services
Carved-out Vodafone IoT gets down to ‘hyperscaling’ business
Vodafone IoT product and marketing lead Marc Sauter relays ‘hyperscaled’ IoT aspirations as business settles as a Group spin-out…