All articles by Joseph Purnell – Page 8
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Venturing & InvestmentsGov-backed UK Infrastructure Bank provides funding to another rural FibreCo
Cornish Wildanet attracts £35m investment from UKIB, days after the bank ploughed £150m into Hyperoptic.
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M&AVodafone Portugal attracts Saudi buyout — report
Portuguese telecoms brace for another stc advance if rumours are believed, with Vodafone transitioning from local buyer to acquisition target. Plan B to stitch up Iberian synergies with stc’s Telefónica stake in Spain?
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Weekly BriefingsVodafonewatch Weekly: geopolitics forcing change in procurement and networks strategy
Latest from Vodafone and its ecosystem as geopolitical tensions and a shift towards a post-globalisation economy make mark on procurement and networks strategy across the Group. Also: Portuguese M&A shot down; CTO seeks commercial tension among hyperscaler partners; and technical trials with various partners show benefits for 5G rollout in Europe…
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Suppliers & SCMVodafone buying chief: ‘creeping protectionism’ destabilising telecom supply chain
Group Procurement Director Ninian Wilson warns that dynamic has changed in Europe, with rising US-China tensions making for difficult decisions in telco buying. Vodafone SCM strategy now prioritising resilience, despite trade-offs…
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M&AVodafone M&A attempt shot down in Portugal
Proposed Vodafone Portugal acquisition of market minnow Nowo ruled out by local antitrust body, but with potential lessons to take to UK merger wranglings.
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Network & InfrastructureBT takes carrier aggregation one step further in 5G SA launch prep
Nokia and Qualcomm partnered again for latest 5CC carrier aggregation trial, laying foundations for 5G SA launch later this year.
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Weekly BriefingsVodafonewatch Weekly: UK merger takes another twist; AI making ‘fundamental’ change
Latest from Vodafone and its ecosystem, including AI-led change affecting the entire industry; UK deal-making to appease merger detractors; spectrum wins in non-core markets; and more from satcomms, ESG startups, and South Africa’s High Court…
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Network & InfrastructureVodafone hands VM O2 a spectrum bonus to win merger support
Following more than a year of talks, Vodafone wins Virgin Media O2 round to its proposed Three merger with an extended network sharing agreement and approval-dependent spectrum transaction. Questions remain about MBNL future, BT response, and CMA viewpoint…
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Weekly BriefingsBTwatch Weekly: less tech, more outcomes for BT’s consumer and procurement teams
Latest from BT and its ecosystem, including calls from Consumer’s Kevin Lee to ‘forget the jargon’ and Chief Procurement Officer Cyril Pourrat on the centrality of AI to the future of buying. Infrastructure sharing in focus at Openreach; network executives exit; and Rivus folds after BT takes business elsewhere…
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Network & InfrastructureOpenreach initiates infra-sharing crackdown as altnets told to get compliant
So-called ‘whereabouts’ compliance must reach 90% for altnets to avoid potential eviction from Openreach networks, with three-month grace period before any action taken. Altnets also unhappy with current failings, and investors wary of compliance weakness. Read more…
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Suppliers & SCMBattle of the bots: BT and Vodafone procurement chiefs forecast AI-driven buying
BT’s Cyril Pourrat and Vodafone’s Ninian Wilson discuss future of procurement, with AI at the core and negotiation bots taking on each other as tech matures. Read more…
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PeopleBT Peoplewatch: network architects, private cloud gurus, convergence charge
Several high-profile and strategic changes at BT Group, including a new Chief Architect; a fresh face to tackle the consumer convergence sticking point; and an executive exit in India as the Group talks up its presence in the subcontinent…
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Weekly BriefingsVodafonewatch Weekly: transforming CTOs call for telco-vendor relationship rework
Latest from Vodafone and its network of partners and interests, including: CTO Scott Petty joins peers to call for telco-vendor relationship rethink; a TowerCo stake sell-down as Vodafone looks to cut Vi debts; and executive newcomers at Vodafone Business…
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PeopleFrom magenta to red: ex-DT boss Rickmann named Vodafone B2B chief
Hagen Rickmann, Telekom Deutschland’s business customer MD until last year, will join Vodafone to lead corporate customers across Europe.
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Financial & PerformanceFleet manager Rivus folds and sells up after losing BT contract
Rivus, BT’s former fleet services provider and 2019 divestment, brings in administrators before selling up to new largest customer.
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Public Affairsnexfibre joins calls to tighten Openreach infra choker, ensure lasting UK fibre competition
UK fibre wholesaler calls for new and improved regulation to provide platform for altnet competition as attention turns to Ofcom’s next five-year framework. Echoes broad consensus among INCA members that more could be done to limit Openreach dominance, encourage altnet investment…
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PeopleVodafone Peoplewatch: Business exec changes in Africa, Europe
30+ senior/strategic changes, including: new B2B chiefs in Africa and Europe; new CFO in Greece creates opening in Czechia; and Partner Markets changes reflecting deals in central Asia and the Middle East. Plus lots more significant changes at European OpCos, Investments companies, and Group HQ…
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Weekly BriefingsBTwatch Weekly: Kirkby earns Slim’s approval; Mehta ratchets transformation agenda
Latest from BT and its ecosystem, including Slim-affiliated investment and Kirkby priorities for asset monetisation. At DTW24, BT execs promoting transformation progress and shift to ‘platform thinking’ — also developments in innovation productivity, autonomous networks, quantum internet, ServiceNow integration, more…
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Network & InfrastructureVodafone extends NETSCOUT deal to evolve ‘hybrid’ network
Vodafone hands NETSCOUT another contract for network visibility and monitoring tech, covering European hybrid network environment, including 5G SA deployments.
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PeopleCampbell McClean steps up as BT’s new Chief Architect
Well-travelled Campbell McClean of DT, Airtel, Telefónica, and Orange fame takes Chief Architect posting at BT Group.