All Public Affairs articles – Page 5
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Public AffairsPhones 4u trial: O2, Telefónica slapped on costs, appeal in pipeline
P4u still pursuing UK MNOs over collapse, despite losing trial and first appeal. Has been super squirmy for many involved, including adjacent revelations. Legal costs in near-decade battle top £100m for P4u, EE, O2, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica — with judge spotting defendants nearly £9m for dubious antics…
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Public AffairsUnion demands 12% wage hike at Deutsche Telekom
Negotiations on 2024 collective wage agreement likely to run until May, if not longer.
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Network & InfrastructureDeutsche Telekom wades into ‘trench warfare’ over fibre duct access
Group continues to refute accusations it is trying to hinder altnet fibre buildouts.
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Public AffairsNetomnia: UK’s One Touch Switch ‘hijacked’ by BT, VM O2 as scheme delayed again
Altnet CEO Jeremy Chelot tells TelcoTitans that the UK’s One Touch Switching hub is unviable under current governance, with BT and Virgin Media said to be dragging feet and over-complicating proceedings. A new date has been set, but concerns remain. The alternative? ‘I’ve built it, and it took me three weeks’…
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Strategy & ChangeVi attempts to convince investors with massive fundraise plan
Vodafone’s Indian JV makes progress on fundraising plans at long last, but questions remain about debt and dues as deadlines loom. Is INR 450bn/£4.3bn/€5bn enough to recuperate the flailing operator?
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Public Affairs“Who the hell is giving these companies money?” — Höttges warns of investment crisis as big four unite
In a “historic” coming together of the heads of Europe’s four biggest operators, calls were made for changes in regulation, spectrum, and merger policy to support future investment. The EC appears open to change on all fronts, but not always as the operators wish.
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Public AffairsDT ‘withholding payments’ on giant outsourcing deal, amid dispute
ISS, DT’s facilities management supplier in Germany, flags it could take a €80m hit to cash flow this year after the seeing place a halt on certain deal payments. The move comes amid ongoing contractual disagreement between the two groups and is the latest in a long line of headaches ISS has faced since taking on the FM job.
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MarketingTelefónica seeks more time to resolve DT logo clash
Spanish group seeks to extend year-long suspension of IP rights dispute surrounding its 2021 ‘T’ logo refresh.
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Public AffairsTelefónica bests Millicom in Costa Rica sale lawsuit
Millicom pulled up in New York for arbitrary and opportunistic behaviour; nine-digit compensation mooted; fallout appears localised with newer partnership elsewhere…
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Network & InfrastructureConnectivity gaps in the spotlight as UK preps for automated vehicles
New study will explore the infrastructure needs for the deployment of connected autonomous vehicles in line with government 2025 goals, with connectivity at the core.
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Public AffairsEuropean Commission bending to Big Telco calls for consolidation — report
Draft policy paper shows EC ready to make big changes in telecom rules to allow its big players to scale, invest and better face other (typically US) service providers, according to reports.
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Peoplee& CEO Hatem Dowidar to take seat on Vodafone board
It’s a happy Valentine’s Day for Vodafone and e& as the partners obtain regulatory approval to get together in the board room.
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Public AffairsUK: Lords maul government on digital exclusion, call for greater altnet role
Locally-focused altnets are seen as a valuable tool in bridging the Digital Divide by peers tasked with assessing the costs and consequences of digital exclusion.
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Network & InfrastructureCityFibre takes lion’s share of UK’s latest £460m Project Gigabit tranche
Altnets continue to own Project Gigabit, with CityFibre even more dominant, extending first mover advantage over Openreach/BT and nexfibre/VM O2. Read more…
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Public AffairsBT begins ‘robust’ defence in £1.3bn overcharging class action
BT takes to the courtroom to face groundbreaking “overcharging” lawsuit — argues no case, but presented as fleecing elderly for whom time of essence; with another class action in the works…
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Network & InfrastructureBT’s spectrum wish list: more frequencies, fewer fees, and care on sharing
BT’s spectrum policy lead lays out spectrum desires, including more bandwidth, with reworked licencing fees to better reflect need for network investment, and a nuanced approach to shared access…
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M&AEmirati position in Vodafone found to present ‘material’ national security risk
Government investigation into e&’s 14.6% stake and strategic relationship agreement with UK operator group raises prospect of deal rethink, boardroom reshuffle, but Vodafone bullish in response…
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Public AffairsTelefónica’s Álvarez-Pallete takes soapbox to Davos, repeats call for EU refresh
Telefónica’s CEO says deregulation and investment “agenda” needed to drive innovation and increase EU telcos’ competitiveness. Comments come hot on the heels of similar messaging from other industry execs. Entrance of SEPI and stc as Group shareholders not a distraction from new three-year strategy…
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Strategy & ChangeTelefónica finalises Spain job cuts, wage increases ‘on the way’
Agreement reached with unions on CEV III framework and new incentivised early-retirement scheme, with more than 3,000 redundancies anticipated. Plans to increase wages and reduce working hours also reportedly in the works, and extension to other subsidiaries also a possibility…
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Public AffairsRumours linking Safaricom’s M-PESA outage to Kenyan tax agency denied
Kenya Revenue Authority accused of being responsible for M-PESA service disruptions, but labels rumours as “fake news”. Find out more about the allegations and the impact of disruptions…