All Public Affairs articles – Page 23
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Premium
Elsewhere in Telefónica Group: operator in line for tax refund
Ecosystem building in quantum and cloud data; tax refund boost
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Public Affairs
Ethiopia presses pause on third licence contest
Regulator initiates another stoppage after interested parties request delay over RFP “concerns”. Move adds to sense of turbulence around Safaricom’s planned entrance into the country during 2022.
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Network & Infrastructure
DT making strides in flash flood recovery
About 97% of flood-damaged fixed lines to be repaired by the end of 2021. Construction of FTTP network in areas where lines cannot be restored.
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Strategy & Change
Telefónica offers redundancy plan to almost 3,000 staff
Unions still not satisfied with latest redundancy offer. Group offers a higher pay increase of 1.5% for 2023.
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Public Affairs
Ericsson loses latest skirmish in Telefónica Avatar saga
Ericsson blocked from unilaterally changing working conditions for employees transferred from Telefónica in 2010 in conjunction with the AltamirA platform acquisition. A renewed deal linked to the platform removes Telefónica’s minimum spend commitment.
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Public Affairs
BT slammed for lack of action on spoofing
IP altnet pokes incumbent over limited success in rooting out fraudulent use of caller ID. BT focused on industry collaboration to address fraud challenge. Migration to all-IP by 2025 portrayed as critical to effective remedies for the problem.
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Safaricom pushes back against monopoly complaints
CEO Peter Ndegwa tells rivals to focus on investments, not accusations. Hearing shows government support for Safaricom, which sees market dominance but not a monopoly.
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Elsewhere in T-Mobile US: Sievert dumps shares
Sievert sells shares; NatCo takes a hit for 911 outage.
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Emergency calls fault puts DT in spotlight
German emergency numbers 110 and 112 downed three times in as many months. Group CEO Höttges steps forward to accept responsibility.
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Financial & Performance
Vodafone close to settling €2.4bn tax dispute with India
Group offers New Delhi a deal after retrospective tax legislation scrapped. Dispute harks back to Vodafone acquisition of Hutchison Essar in 2007. Indian stand-off has long cast a shadow over Group finances, despite recent legal victories.
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TPG takes hit as Teoh offloads shares
Controversial founder sells 20% of his total stake — the maximum he was able to sell. Move sees TPG valuation drop by AU$ 1bn.
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Safaricom outlines plans to tackle staff fraud
Telco forms fraud management squads to identify internal fraud. 28 employees fired in FY20–21 for fraud-related offences.
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Operations
Telefónica presents redundancy plan to Spanish unions
Union negotiations begin over new phase of headcount reduction. Reports suggest more than 3,000 staff will be offered voluntary redundancy, although eventual job cut total expected to be lower. Move comes amid ongoing competition and inflation concerns.
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Premium
Equinox takes off as legal challenge looms
Openreach touts better-than-expected FTTP offer take-up. Equinox aimed at accelerating full-fibre adoption, but altnets could spoil the party with legal action.
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M&A
Spain shields Telefónica as KKR’s TI bid makes waves
Spanish government reinforcing restrictions that would halt hostile bids for Telefónica until 2023. Europe’s telco sector awash with bid speculation as KKR pursues TI, and Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries is linked to a BT bid.
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Ofcom seeks to protect BT public phone boxes
Regulator estimates that 6,000 BT kiosks have been converted under Adopt a Kiosk scheme. Stricter rules could protect about 5,000 phone boxes. Ofcom proposes other changes to USO including fax support and directories.
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Network & Infrastructure
Regulator: don’t let Ethiopia unrest slow network rollout
The Ethiopian Communications Authority has told STE to “expedite the project rollout” amid ongoing conflict in the country’s north. No wiggle-room in Q1 commercial launch deadline, despite Safaricom staff evacuation and national state of emergency.
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Premium
Elsewhere in BT Group: Phones 4u saga continues
Phones 4u saga rolls on; BT joins in with COP26 target-setting.
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Strategy & Change
DT’s Ahrens reaffirms commitment to Gaia-X amid turbulence
T-Systems CTO Maximilian Ahrens sees DT as a “bridge builder” for Gaia-X. Chairman of European cloud association insists it is still in startup phase and accepts “an element of needing to find ourselves”. Summit marked by reported sponsorship row and France-based Scaleway become first major member to exit the ...
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Strategy & Change
Elsewhere in T-Mobile US: VoNR not yet ready
VoNR not yet ready; retail partnerships boost footprint; Google tie-up surfaces with new plan.