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…
Germany’s antitrust authority has accused Vodafone and Vantage Towers of blocking 1&1’s 5G rollout by withholding promised tower access. The delay, the regulator claims, harms competition and could have been avoided.
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.
