UK’s government and Vodafone settle on ‘proportionate measures’ to assuage national security concerns over UAE-based e&’s increasing ownership stakes. This agreement follows the government’s expressed apprehension about e&’s potential influence on Vodafone’s policies due to its status as the largest shareholder. In response, a ‘national security committee’ will be created within Vodafone to monitor initiatives that could affect national security.
In a significant development in the field of satellite communications, Hellas Sat has joined forces with Thales Alenia Space, a collaboration between Thales and Leonardo, under a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding. This agreement marks the beginning of their joint venture on a pioneering optical communication satellite project.
As the new year unfolds, Vodafone has released a compelling report, underscoring the urgent need for regulatory reforms to bolster Europe’s telecommunications sector. The report, titled “Why Telecoms Matters,” paints a stark picture of the challenges Europe currently faces, emphasizing the pivotal role of mobile technology and digital transformation in overcoming these obstacles.
Prominent telecom operator, BT, steps into the fray of a groundbreaking class action lawsuit. At the core lies accusations of excessive pricing for traditional landline users, contrasted against fairer prices for bundle consumers. While BT robustly contests any allegations of abusing its market dominance, millions of claimants eagerly seek compensation.
Facing an economic upheaval, telecom leaders like Nokia, Ericsson, and AT&T post disappointing financial outcomes for 2023, attributed to factors like changing customer behavior and a challenging macro-economic environment. However, there are glimmers of hope, evidenced by Nokia’s significant free cash flow generation amidst a major slump in sales.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority is investigating the proposed merger of mobile network providers, Three UK and Vodafone UK. The focus is on whether this union could diminish competition in the industry. While a smaller field of players is a concern, there is optimism as the new entity plans a hefty joint investment in infrastructure upgrades.
AST SpaceMobile secures a funding boost of $206.5 million from AT&T, Google, and Vodafone. Used smartphone market saw a robust 9.5% growth, while the new smartphone market faced a 3.2% decline. Nokia and Oppo have resolved their patent dispute with a multi-year cross-licensing agreement on 5G technology. ASC Americas partners with Wilmac Technologies to integrate ASC’s “Recording Insights” into Wilmac’s services. Mavenir has secured a contract to modernize messaging capabilities for Deutsche Telekom networks.
In a collaborative effort to bolster marine conservation initiatives, Orange Business, the business-to-business (B2B) segment of a prominent European telecommunications group, has joined forces with Tēnaka, an organization dedicated to safeguarding marine ecosystems. The partnership aims to enhance coral reef restoration within a Marine Protected Area of the Coral Triangle in Malaysia, focused on the protection and preservation of wildlife.
Enreach, Europe’s leading provider of converged contact solutions, announced that Tonny Siemons, the company’s business development lead for its Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Operator Connect integration strategies, will speak at ITEXPO, one of the world’s largest communications technology conferences. The event is scheduled for 13-15 February, 2024 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In a quest to bring hyper-fast broadband to Scotland’s most rural regions, the Scottish government launched the ambitious R100 (Reaching 100%) project. Backed with sizable financing, R100 aims to boost connectivity for over 180,000 premises. However, stumbling blocks including bidding disputes and slow deployment have pushed timelines back, igniting debates over the project’s efficacy and cost-effectiveness.
