Public affairs
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Strategy & Change
Brazil’s Vivo gets Central Bank nod to expand in fintech
Central Bank of Brazil grants licence for operator to expand credit and insurance products and grow its presence in the fintech space.
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Public Affairs
MásOrange angers Spanish unions with plan for 795 voluntary job cuts
After eight months of operation, the Spanish joint venture of Orange Spain and MásMóvil wants to weed out workforce duplication with plans to cut 795 jobs but faces resistance from national trade unions.
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Weekly Briefings
Telefónicawatch Weekly: Spain puts more rural 5G cash on the table
Telefónica España among operators eligible for extra public funding to expand 5G SA services in rural parts of the country.
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Interview
UK altnet Quickline pitches ‘patchwork’ solution to rural full-fibre challenge
Quickline CEO Sean Royce tells TelcoTitans not everyone needs a gigabit right now and full fibre is not the only way to improve broadband services in the most remote parts of the UK.
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Public Affairs
Safaricom ‘calls for’ mandated MNO–SatCo partnerships as Starlink expands in Africa
Reports indicate Kenyan operator is pushing local Communications Authority to consider blocking solo foreign SatCo entrants and oblige them to form partnerships with licence-holding MNOs.
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: Openreach simplifies, MAUD levels up, EE adds parental guidance
Latest from BT and its ecosystem, including: content delivery network level-up with Edgio trials; Openreach restructures for complex fibre builds; SWAN passes migration milestone; EE warns of smartphone risks for kids…
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Partnerships & Alliances
Vodafone firms up 1&1 deal; start of huge user transfer ‘near’
Vodafone Germany to begin carrying 1&1 traffic from later this week, as part of national roaming tie-up announced last year.
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Network & Infrastructure
Peru plans to offer ‘free’ 5G spectrum in return for coverage
New government decree outlines measures designed to help Telefónica Peru, Bitel, Claro, and Entel accelerate 5G rollout.
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Network & Infrastructure
Trooli CEO: UK’s Project Gigabit scheme will ‘come into its own’
Talking to Zen’s Richard Tang, Trooli CEO Andy Conibere praised the work of the government’s BDUK in stimulating an altnet industry.
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Network & Infrastructure
Openreach enters Project Gigabit fray at near-£1bn scale
Openreach handed its first Project Gigabit contracts, more in discussion. UK government ‘redoubles’ rural infill efforts, including first few in Wales…
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Strategy & Change
India’s Bharti steps in as BT’s new largest shareholder
BT Group reunited with 1990s partner, but this time as junior, with new India connection talked up. Investment anchored as ‘vote of confidence’ in CEO Allison Kirkby’s strategy. Road to regulatory approval appears relatively smooth. More on Altice retreat…
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Financial & Performance
Telefónica Q2 FY24 In-depth: Focus on profitability as revenue blips in key geographies
Group reports slight revenue and earnings increases, as growth decelerates in Brazil and Germany, while Virgin Media O2 adjusts guidance after reporting decreases in sales and EBITDA. Read more…
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Network & Infrastructure
Short-term delays in NI, but Project Gigabit readying for leap forward across devolved nations
Northern Ireland Executive confirms slight delay in procurement, but confident Project Stratum success can be replicated as paths cleared for Project Gigabit progress in Scotland, Wales…
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: CEO claims ‘solid start’ but warns of tumultuous year to come
Latest from BT and its interests, including: a Q1 report that tees up plenty of turbulence to come, but with a recovery scheduled within the next 18 months; a massive ESN contract in the works with BT despite equally substantial delays in recent years; and new digs for the former CEO…
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Network & Infrastructure
EE handed £1.85bn ESN top-up, 5G SA upgrade
UK Home Office to award massive Emergency Services Network transition contract. ’Progress’ so far blocks competition and earns EE the deal, despite ten-year, £10bn+ programme delay…
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Network & Infrastructure
German law to accelerate network rollout receives muted response
Draft TK‑NABEG act moves to next stage, with telecom networks elevated to status of “overriding public interest”.
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Network & Infrastructure
Project Gigabit future: UK FibreCos say yes to expansion, but with caveats
Mooted bundling of Project Gigabit mega-contracts gets firm ‘no’ from altnet INCA gathering, but most on board for programme extension. New Labour government urged to protect and evolve rural fibre build to reach final few per cent of rural premises, learn from ‘zany’ Scotland, or risk missing FTTP targets. And then there’s that Type C elephant (not) in the room, Openreach…
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Venturing & Investments
Infracapital: UK FibreCo fundraisers must graft to overcome global ‘bad rep’, new gov showing ‘green shoots’
INCA event provides platform for investors and altnets including Octopus and Netomnia to review early weeks of Labour government, with broad optimism on show despite still rocky funding environment. The capital exists, but what will Downing Street do to bring it to the UK? Read more…
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M&A
T-Mobile spends $5bn to make Metronet its fibre buy number-two
Tie-up with KKR sees NatCo add two million homes to its expanding fixed services footprint, as well as securing a residential customer add-on.
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M&A
Vodafone 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?