German carriers Vodafone and 1&1 have launched a national roaming partnership, enhancing mobile communications across Germany. New 1&1 customers can seamlessly access Vodafone’s network in areas not yet covered by 1&1. Existing 1&1 customers will also benefit, accessing both 1&1’s 5G network and Vodafone’s national roaming.
In a strategic move, 1&1 penetrates the German 5G market through a new agreement with Vodafone, leaving Telefonica potentially at a loss. Details of the agreement, such as leveraging on Vodafone’s robust 5G, 2G, and 4G networks, and potential future technologies, raise various possibilities for 1&1’s continued growth.
Germany’s Bundeskartellamt investigates Vodafone’s Vantage Towers for potentially obstructing 1&1’s 5G rollout, raising questions on fair competition and business practices in the telecommunications industry.
The independent German telecommunications company 1&1 Drillisch has announced that it has accepted Telefonica Deutschland’s improved national roaming offer. Drillisch said that if a roaming agreement were to be reached with Telefonica, it would retrospectively add $41 million to its 2020 earnings, which it would book in its 2021 fiscal year. Telefonica Deutschland and 1&1 Drillisch have agreed on the details of a new national roaming agreement after lengthy pricing disputes. Both sides claimed a positive result after the European Commission (EC) helped reach a compromise. The companies are expanding their long-term partnership by transforming the current MBA MVNO contract into a National Roaming Agreement (NRA) under the 2014 Telefónica Deutschland and E-Plus merger remedy framework. The parties are now seeking to complete the contractual details for the NRAs by mid-May 2021. Initially, the NRA includes a 5-year contract period that retroactively starts 1 July 2020 and…
The German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has launched fresh consultations on proposals to prolong spectrum usage rights for major telecom operators, potentially deferring a competitive auction process until the next decade. This move has reignited tensions with market entrant 1&1, which has previously contested similar initiatives.
As Rakuten Symphony’s CEO, Tareq Amin, unexpectedly departs, it heightens the mystery around the company’s subdued performance this year. Despite a promising start and securing a deal with Germany’s greenfield mobile operator 1&1, Symphony’s momentum appears to have plateaued. Yet a recent MoU with Veon to explore Open RAN solutions offers a beacon of hope. Amidst tricky market conditions and scarce major RAN deals, all eyes are now on acting president Sharad Sriwastawa to breathe new life into Symphony.
