All articles by Joseph Purnell – Page 9
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M&A
Vodafone sells another €1.7bn of Indus shares
Vodafone sells 18% stake in Indian TowerCo to repay debts of other Indian assets.
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Strategy & Change
Allera, Mehta team up to bridge BT’s digital divide, drive ‘platform-thinking’
DTW24 – Ignite: Chief Digital & Innovation Officer Harmeen Mehta joined on-stage by Consumer CEO Marc Allera to hype transformation advances as Digital overhaul impacts EE platform-building.
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Weekly Briefings
Vodafonewatch Weekly: subcontinental drift continues with Vi equity offer and Indus rumours
Latest from Vodafone and its ecosystem, including an equity proposal to Ericsson and Nokia in India, and news of a potential Indus Towers stake sale to boot as Vodafone continues to ratchet down its presence in the subcontinent. UK merger faces more backlash from rivals; Partner Markets welcomes newcomer; 2Africa subsea cable reaches British shores; plus more from Germany, Ireland, Ethiopia, beyond…
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M&A
UK fibre M&A ‘easy’ (compared to challenges of compatibility, integration, compliance)
Challenger leaders at INCA gathering call out lack of industry standards as key obstacle to more M&A. Integration and migration are costly and complex, making compatibility a consideration for prospective buyers. Compliance also increasingly important in valuations. More positive is XGS-PON embrace, deemed a “damn fine standard for a starting place”, but beware legacy tech. Learn more…
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Financial & Performance
Vi offers equity to Ericsson, Nokia in latest fundraise bid
Equity sale to vendors will take total equity issued in past few months to INR 240bn, putting Vi on track to raise enough funds to pursue 4G/5G rollout aspirations.
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Partnerships & Alliances
Vodafone returns to Azerbaijan with new Partner Markets deal
Group enlists Azerconnect to Partner Markets roster in a return to Azerbaijan after eleven years.
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Strategy & Change
BT CEO prioritises scale as asset monetisation talks re-emerge
As BT considers options for BT Global, where scale was never achieved, CEO Allison Kirkby will use the same measure in discussions about potential portfolio changes elsewhere.
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: policy in focus as BT execs make the General Election rounds
Latest from BT and its ecosystem, including discussions of a political nature from a handful of senior Group leaders in the build up to the UK’s General Election. The future of TV, planning policy for network expansion, and the need for pro-innovation and investment changes all earned a mention…
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People
BT switches ESN leadership as part of top-level changes in enterprise portfolio
Faisal Mahomed named Emergency Services Network Director, with Simon Warner his replacement as Director of UK Portfolio Business.
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Network & Infrastructure
Vodafone links 2Africa subsea cable to UK hub
Vodafone onshores another section of 2Africa submarine cable, this time in Cornwall.
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Weekly Briefings
Vodafonewatch Weekly: ex-OpCos begin turnaround; venturing moves in Europe, Africa
Latest from Vodafone and its ecosystem as the Group completes in Spanish exit and hears news of a turnaround from another former OpCo in Hungary, while prospective new ownership in Italy makes more M&A moves. Startup incubation and acceleration is brought to the fore in Portugal and Kenya; open RAN updates with partnerships in tow; drones take flight in Germany; and plenty more…
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Content & TV
BT policy chief calls for TV distribution rethink as IP takes hold
Policy & Public Affairs Director Helen Burrows describes current content distribution regulation as insufficient and outmoded, with need to update and reflect change in audience demand.
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Network & Infrastructure
Project Gigabit finally reaches Scotland with first rural fibre tender
UK government fibre build scheme opens procurement process for North East Scotland network, geared towards reaching 68,000 premises. Northern Ireland and Wales contracts in the pipeline, as are larger ‘call-off’ bundled lots that have piqued the interest of larger players…
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Weekly Briefings
Vodafonewatch Weekly: African infra in spotlight, Spanish retreat complete
Latest from Vodafone and its partners and interests as Spanish exit completes, Shared Ops leadership adjusted, and climate plans pushed back. In Africa, infra-sharing is on the cards, but Vodacom’s in-progress South African fibre deal faces backlash…
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People
BT Peoplewatch: Data & AI leadership redrawn at BT Digital
Senior swaps include new Data & AI leader after Zoë Webster exits the Group, leaving a legacy of AI adoption and foundations for scaling. BT Business changes include senior shuffles for Central Government accounts, while Openreach opts to leave Corporate Affairs & Brand unfilled after Catherine Colloms departs. Plenty more across the Group…
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: Kirkby sets agenda as Group targets simpler, leaner, better
In-depth analysis of BT’s FY23−24 results, including the vision cast by CEO Allison Kirkby in her first full-year earnings call. Tweaks made to Group shape will redraw Business boundaries and target the division that has caused significant headaches in recent years. Consumer and Openreach are turning a corner, with the hard graft of the past few FYs soon to be leveraged and monetised. Developments elsewhere include: another delay to the all-IP landline migration; an Openreach executive exit; self-powered base stations; and a multimillion-pound fine from Ofcom…
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People
Vodafone Peoplewatch: Shared Ops overhaul prompts further procurement shuffle
30+ senior/strategic appointments across Vodafone Group worldwide, including: knock-on effects of ongoing Shared Operations restructure; BizDev leader Philippe Vogeleer’s departure; and new CFO at Vodafone Investments. Vodafone Germany turns attention to Broadband & Entertainment, while Business makes regional changes across Europe. Plus lots more on product and finance fronts, and in Africa, Europe, and Group HQ…
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People
Openreach corporate affairs and brand chief exits
Catherine Colloms, long-time Director of Corporate Affairs & Brand, has left Openreach after leading the business through its BT split.
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Financial & Performance
BT FY23−24 Highlights: Kirkby unveils sharper BT; investors finally cheer
CEO Allison Kirkby lays out her vision for change, tightening the focus of her predecessor to pitch a simpler, nimbler BT Group with a ROCE mindset differentiated by CX. Network superiority remains central as impetus shifts from build to monetisation, without easing up on the former. With B2B a stubborn drag, the one major diversion from Plan Jansen: now UK-first, Global offloaded…
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Financial & Performance
BT FY23−24 In-depth: focus shifts from build to connections, monetisation
CEO Allison Kirkby tees up mindset shift from fibre build to networks monetisation, driving connections to grow ARPU, leveraging the sweat and spend of previous FYs. For FY23−24, consistently solid performance at Consumer and Openreach makes up for perennially painful Business…