All articles by Richard Agnew – Page 35
-
Suppliers & SCM
Brexit and COVID: BT’s twin supply chain headaches
Group continuing to scrutinise status of 450 key partners, amid logistical and financial turmoil wrought by pandemic. Spread of critical partners under consideration to create greater resilience post-coronavirus and split from EU. Telcos, traditionally known for squeezing suppliers to the max, now focused on keeping them afloat.
-
Operations
Deutsche Telekom brings IoT under German supervision
Organisational shift forms part of broader B2B realignment and looks focused on freshening up approach to enterprise 5G market.
-
Innovation (R&D)
Double dose of reality for BT in Glasgow R&D link-up
Controlling football crowds and helping train technical staff among 5G-based applications being looked at in AR/VR tie-up with University of Glasgow.
-
People
Nafziger to lead Telekom Deutschland’s international B2B push
Global Carrier Head takes on ownership of all B2B plans beyond Germany. Operator seeking to better coordinate its international enterprise market play.
-
People
Vodafone Spain’s Coimbra to step down after eight years
End of era for Spanish business that has struggled to adapt to new realities over the past decade.
-
Strategy & Change
Telefónica Peru seeks giant leap from Project Apollo
Tecnotree-supported modernisation programme enabling more time to be taken in disentangling “fantastic mess” of legacy point solutions. Business wanted digital platform refresh to match cadence of webscale service development. Project held up as case study by TM Forum, highlighting open integration.
-
Strategy & Change
Q2 FY20: Un-Carrier quickly finds stride after H1’s bumps
New CEO and CFO team remain bullish on business growth opportunities, despite challenges of Sprint integration, COVID-19, and change of leadership. TMUS moots a period of commercial aggression against rivals in H2, working off economic downturn and 5G differentiation. B2B expansion also back (yet again) on agenda. Reported surpassing ...
-
Premium
Guidance: Deutsche Telekom shows off its super-sized stats
Up-sized Group sees earnings coming in above €30bn.
-
Strategy & Change
Q2 FY20: Gopalan backed to solve Germany paradox
Transferred from Europe segment, new CEO is being asked to bridge multiple, competing business objectives at Telekom Deutschland, as Group takes a fresh look at how to move its European-based businesses forward. Höttges’ comments suggest efficient fibre rollout remains a puzzle the operator has yet to get to the ...
-
Strategy & Change
Q2 FY20: Steadying European ship now a top DT priority
With the appointment of Dominique Leroy to lead Europe segment, DT appears to be ensuring it can attack regional revival from all sides. An outsider but not a maverick — Group continues ‘internationalisation’ of upper hierarchy but evidently does not want to rock boat in a time of crisis. ...
-
Premium
Spend: Deutsche Telekom enters de-leveraging phase
Höttges could reach for famed cookie jar to help bring down borrowing after US splurge.
-
Operations
BT–EE meld: more execs become part of the mothership
BT’s de-duplication effort accelerates with more than two thirds of EE’s operations staff being swallowed up by its parent Group since April 2019.
-
Premium
Headline numbers: relying on US
USA growth now an even more dominant part of DT’s world. Management remain keen to ensure strength in Europe is not overlooked.
-
M&A
Telefónica targets partners for M&A add ons in security
Group reaching into partner base for acquisitions to support expansion plans of new Telefónica Cybersecurity Tech division. Wayra investments maturing as two minority stakes upgraded to whole ownership. Reorganisation of assets for security expansion may be a template for revamp in cloud and IoT target markets.
-
Strategy & Change
Heathrow operator Ferrovial has 5G on radar
Emerging tower and private network ambitions look to set up the Spanish group as a rival and/or partner of operators and their infrastructure arms.
-
Partnerships & Alliances
Vodafone’s Omani adventure falling behind schedule
High-touch operational relationship with Vodafone does not appear to have prevented launch programme from backing up. Drags could be a reputational worry for challenged Partner Markets federation, and Group as a whole.
-
Partnerships & Alliances
T-Mobile cuts Sprint’s VoIP tie-up with Ooma
IP telephony player becomes latest partner to flag it is grappling with change wrought by rationalisation of the New T-Mobile technology and services ecosystem.
-
Network & Infrastructure
Safaricom to put network disaggregation into the wild
Kenyan operator to expand Vodafone’s Africa test-ground for open solutions. Project gearing is more towards core and backhaul than RAN. Scale and efficiency gains highlighted.
-
Strategy & Change
BT to shut blighted Lancashire ICT business
Scandal-hit venture that became the embodiment of BT’s troubled partnership approach to council contracts to finally fade away. Council insourcing set to leave a significant dent in BT’s public sector revenue stream.
-
Enterprise (B2B)
Telefónica creates new unit to target UK security space
Operator is looking to build an international platform for new Telefónica Cibersecurity Tech division. Targeting markets inside and outside its footprint.