All Public Affairs articles
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Strategy & Change
‘Europe needs a DOGE’: Höttges looks to Musk for regulation blueprint
MWC 2025: Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges has led the usual calls for policy overhaul in Europe, this time offering a direct comparison between European MNOs’ challenges and T-Mobile’s ‘freedom’.
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M&A
Digi, Vodafone close in on Telekom Romania mobile takeover approvals
Digi CEO Serghei Bulgac says regulators are looking at complex acquisition proposal, with feedback expected in the “coming weeks”.
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M&A
Telefónica seeks to win regulatory nod for Colombia exit
Telefónica and Millicom have asked Colombia’s competition authority to review a proposed deal that would seal the Spanish operator’s retreat from the challenging market.
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Strategy & Change
BT ‘remains committed’ to diversity despite dropping DEI calculator
BT’s decision to drop the diversity, equity, and inclusion targets from its management bonus scheme comes as the corporate world reassesses the benefits of DEI measures. BT claims to be ready to move on with DEI already embedded, but has it reneged on commitments without first meeting targets?
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Network & Infrastructure
Telefónica tops up on 5G spectrum in Venezuela
Telefónica Venezuela and Digitel acquired mid-band spectrum in the country’s 5G auction, but other frequencies on offer were left on the table.
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Public Affairs
T-Mobile US says prepaid base ‘insulated’ from immigration policy
With US immigration policy in flux, and potential for large-scale deportations, T-Mobile’s management assures that any changes will not put a big dent in subscriber numbers.
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Public Affairs
MásOrange layoffs mired in legal challenge from unions
Ruling on legality of MásOrange’s redundancy plan delayed to end of next month as unions fight to protect 650 jobs at the recently merged operator.
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Financial & Performance
India’s Vi boosted by talk of more government debt relief
Troubled Indian operator reportedly set to get another leg up in its bounce-back effort as government considers dismissing INR 1tn+ of AGR dues…
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Network & Infrastructure
MásOrange CEO wants Spain to make spectrum fee cut
Meinrad Spenger proposes changes after charges reportedly led to joint venture’s failure to find a buyer for surplus 3.5GHz rights.
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Strategy & Change
Is UK’s AI Action Plan under-powered?
UK government unveils aspirational plan for growing the AI sector, with a partner sought for a new data centre in its first AI Growth Zone, but questions remain about the power capacity to underpin the impending data and AI explosion…
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M&A
4iG’s Vodafone buy under fire amid political scrutiny of state role
Hungarian opposition Socialist Party accuses Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government of negligent mismanagement of public funds during the acquisition of Vodafone Hungary by 4iG and state-owned holding company Cornivus.
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Partnerships & Alliances
Ex-Vodafone chief Colao cautions Italy against SpaceX alliance
Former Vodafone CEO and Italian government minister Vittorio Colao urges EU to focus on developing member state-owned satellite constellations to avoid strategic dependence on foreign providers. Comments come after reports that Italian gov is working on a fresh comms pact with Elon Musk’s SpaceX…
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Public Affairs
UK Home Office backs £650m class action against Motorola in latest Airwave twist
Emergency services network provider faces a claim that excessive pricing policies over a three year period cost up to 2,000 public safety organisations more than £600m.
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Network & Infrastructure
MásOrange and Vodafone Spain confirm deal to create ‘Europe’s largest FibreCo’
Rework of consolidated Spanish telco market continues, seeing MásOrange and Vodafone Spain follow up their 2024 M&A deals by combining fibre assets.
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M&A
Vodafone’s European retrench continues: Italian retreat gets final regulatory nods
Authorities rubber-stamp Swisscom’s acquisition of Vodafone Italy, pushing Margherita Della Valle’s ‘right-sized’ vision closer. By mid-2025, with €36bn+ bagged over 12 months, what’s in store for the far from insignificant remnants of rump Europe, developing market, digital infra, jazzed-up central function, and other assets and stakes? Read more…
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Public Affairs
BT beats landmark class action case, cleared of unfair pricing
Competition Appeal Tribunal dismisses first-of-its-kind collective class action against BT, having found it to be charging ‘excessive’, but not ‘unfair’, prices.
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Interview
New INCA CEO tells UK altnets to mobilise against common enemy
Industry body recce’d under new CEO, with collaboration and communication identified for rework — including potential Openreach hotline upgrade — despite cloud of consolidation.
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Network & Infrastructure
Ofcom plots spectrum fee overhaul after MNOs’ calls for change
UK regulator sets out proposal to cut £40m from mobile operators’ collective annual spectrum licence bill after BT’s call for change.
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Public Affairs
Exasperated telco CEOs mulled strike action to drive EU regulatory change: Orange’s Heydemann
Orange CEO says the concept of a CEO strike came up in discussions over how to change European regulators’ mindset towards sector, although concedes impracticality of such a move.
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Public Affairs
Colombia delays Telefónica reprieve in network licence dispute
Operator faces pushback from Colombian government after being on the verge of winning long-running legal dispute. Delay in the resolution process comes at critical moment for Telefónica’s Colombian operations, as it seeks to exit the market…