Vodafone Regulatory & Compliance
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M&AVodacom considers appeal after courts block MAZIV fibre plans
Proposed South African fibre JV blocked by Competition Tribunal after lengthy review process, but details of decision not yet published.
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Strategy & ChangeSeven years in, Liberty CEO says it’s time to ‘think about’ Vodafone JV’s future
Mike Fries suggests seven years of co-ownership with Vodafone may be long enough as internal discussions turn more acutely to Dutch JV’s future.
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Public AffairsSafaricom ‘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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Partnerships & AlliancesVodafone 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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M&AVodafone 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?
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M&AVodafone M&A attempt shot down in Portugal
Proposed Vodafone Portugal acquisition of market minnow Nowo ruled out by local antitrust body, but with potential lessons to take to UK merger wranglings.
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Weekly BriefingsVodafonewatch Weekly: UK merger takes another twist; AI making ‘fundamental’ change
Latest from Vodafone and its ecosystem, including AI-led change affecting the entire industry; UK deal-making to appease merger detractors; spectrum wins in non-core markets; and more from satcomms, ESG startups, and South Africa’s High Court…
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Network & InfrastructureVodafone hands VM O2 a spectrum bonus to win merger support
Following more than a year of talks, Vodafone wins Virgin Media O2 round to its proposed Three merger with an extended network sharing agreement and approval-dependent spectrum transaction. Questions remain about MBNL future, BT response, and CMA viewpoint…
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Network & InfrastructureVodacom sues regulator and MTN over alleged improper spectrum sharing
Suspicions on MTN’s perceived overperformance in Ookla testing prompted Vodacom to investigate its rival’s spectrum practices, and allege malpractice in new court filings.
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Financial & PerformanceVodafone Germany to lose half of TV customer base as new tenant laws take effect
Vodafone’s largest and last standalone European market braces for a slump in performance this year while revamping operations in an attempt to revive growth. Tenant bundling law change set to accelerate longer term trend of customer losses at misfiring major OpCo.
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M&AVodafone−Three welcome deal’s security clearance as focus turns to antitrust
UK government green-lights merger (with caveats) after conducting security review, but Vodafone−Three are far from celebrating as the CMA’s investigation steps up a gear and leaves consolidation in doubt…
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Weekly BriefingsVodafonewatch Weekly: ups and downs in Group’s network-sharing tie-ups and M&A; RAN mega-tender KO
Latest from Vodafone and its ecosystem, including: commencement of massive RAN tender; regional network-sharing in Australia; and UK merger with Three competition concerns mount. Elsewhere: Vodafone Business seeks role in edge compute innovation; Vodacom Tanzania facing legal action; and more consolidation prospects in the Netherlands and Spain explored…
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M&AMerged Vodafone−Three ‘incentivised and able’ to ‘frustrate’, ‘harm’ BT — CMA
Merger-critical Competition & Markets Authority investigation is damning on logic and impact of combination, dubious of benefits. Network-sharing joint venture MBNL is at heart of concerns and may become a focus for any forthcoming ‘remedies’. Read more…
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Network & InfrastructureTPG signs more regulator-friendly rural RAN-sharing deal with Optus
Australia’s TPG Telecom signs MOCN agreement with Optus in bid to present true regional challenge to Telstra, taking notes from regulator’s report on the unsucessful Telstra deal to add to optimism about green-light prospects…
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M&AVodafone insists imperilled Portugal deal ‘not life or death’
Vodafone Portugal’s acquisition of market minnow Nowo looks set to be denied, but OpCo CEO Luís Lopes is unphased and remains confident of prospects regardless.
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Public AffairsEnforced M-PESA spinout delayed by Safaricom $575bn tax exposure
Tax complication delaying spinout of transformational and potentially highly valued African mobile-money pioneer; Central Bank Governor keen to make faster progress on resolution, amidst desire to navigate its local dominance. Read more…
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Weekly BriefingsVodafonewatch Weekly: Phones 4u legal battle reignite, satcomms remain grounded, enforced M-PESA spin-out hits tax challenge
Latest from Vodafone and its partners, including revived legal wranglings in the UK over Phones 4u collusions claims, Vodafone-backed SpaceMobile still struggling to launch, Safaricom $0.5bn+ tax exposure complicating state-enforced divestment of M-PESA jewel. Plus much more…
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M&ACMA concerned Vodafone-Three could access O2 and EE secrets
As expected, the UK merger is headed for tougher scrutiny in a longer investigation following an initial review by the Competition and Markets Authority.
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Weekly BriefingsVodafonewatch Weekly: Della Valle calls for EU rethink as Group begins Italy retreat
Weekly Briefing: Vodafone CEO looks likely to get rationalisation wish granted as Italian escape nears, days after she presented a united front at MWC with European peers to demand change on the continent. Other developments showcased in Barcelona include an XR headset demo and open API momentum…
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Weekly BriefingsVodafonewatch Weekly: antitrust and security scrutiny, home and away
Huge week for Vodafone as M&A activity ramps up: Italy leaves Iliad reeling; Spain progresses; UK gets underway; and Emirati investors dodge security scrutiny. Plus, much more around the Group in Europe, Africa, elsewhere…