Verizon and YouTube team up to offer NFL Sunday Ticket, Cisco and Qwilt enhance content delivery in Italy, Verizon and AT&T notify customers of new fees, Google rolls out safety feature for detecting Bluetooth trackers on Android devices, and worldwide smartphone market sees a 10% decline in Q2 2023.
Italy’s telecommunications tycoon, Retelit, ushers in a new era of growth under the leadership of newcomer CEO, Jorge Álvarez. With the recent Retelit-Irideos merger, Álvarez is set to navigate the future of this B2B market leader, backed by a solid 20-year career in the global telecom industry.
Industry expert Jonny Parkinson illuminates the landscape of telecommunications mergers and acquisitions amidst economic shake-ups and global tensions. Despite a dip in deal-making activity, recent predictions suggest a strategic surge in the back half of 2023. Drawing upon the resilience of telecom firms in the face of change, Parkinson underscores the potential offered by technologies like AI and cloud computing to maintain competitiveness, even encouraging alternative structuring concepts and careful due diligence for prospective M&A targets.
In just five years, Iliad has amassed over 10 million mobile customers in Italy, boasting a 99% satisfaction rate and making waves in the market. Offering transparent pricing and driving down costs, the telecom giant’s innovative approach is challenging traditional operators as convergence looms.
Italy’s Ministry of Enterprise proposes €1.5 billion in support for the nation’s telecom sector, including tax breaks and funding for fiber upgrades, potentially revitalizing the struggling industry and fostering a competitive environment.
EQT’s acquisition of a 60% stake in a new company formed to own and operate Wind Tre’s fixed and mobile network assets promises innovation and growth for the Italian telecoms sector. While the deal is still awaiting regulatory approval, it highlights a broader trend in infrastructure monetization and strategic partnerships, paving the way for sustainable market competition.
Italian telecom giant TIM’s nine-year Power Purchase Agreement with ERG demonstrates a commitment to eco-friendly energy, sourcing 34% of its energy needs through PPAs, and targeting Net Zero emissions by 2040.
Ofcom has a plan for phone boxes Under new guidelines published by the UK communications regulator, Ofcom, stronger security for public call boxes went into effect. The new guidelines update from Ofcom’s aims to guarantee that strategically located phone boxes are not removed and that they are modified to provide extra services. As a result, phone boxes will be protected against removal if they are still needed by a local community. Millions of UK residents continue to rely on older technologies such as landlines and payphones for connectivity. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mryanv67 TIM to cut 1,200 jobs to minimize costs TIM has reportedly secured an agreement with labor unions that will allow the company to cut up to 1,200 positions, allowing TIM to save significantly on domestic personnel expenses. Cuts will be implemented through a voluntary early retirement program, which will be the first step in the Italian incumbent’s larger…
Orange and MasMovil in talks about joint venture Orange and MasMovil have stated that they are in talks to launch a 50:50 joint venture (JV) in Spain. Orange’s Spanish subsidiary is valued at €8.1 billion, while MasMovil is valued at €11.5 billion, for a total enterprise value of €19.6 billion. The merged operator would include around 7.1 million fixed line customers and 20.2 million mobile users, with a combined FTTH network of approximately 16 million residences. The operators claim that the combination would result in a slew of meaningful synergies of more than €450 million within three years of the merger closing. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y5d9h3y7 Google acquires Mandiant to boost its cloud offering In a move aimed at bolstering the capabilities of its Google Cloud platform, Google has agreed to pay $5.4 billion for the cybersecurity firm Mandiant. To address harmful information and software vulnerabilities, Google Cloud currently offers…
Samsung introduces S22 flagship smartphones At its most recent Galaxy Unpacked presentation, Samsung Electronics announced a new lineup of premium smartphones. The S22 series has three 5G models, including the top-of-the-range Ultra edition, which includes features from Samsung’s previous Note handsets. With an Armor Aluminum frame used in all three versions, Samsung promises a highly durable phone. In addition, to lessen the environmental impact of the smartphones, the business has used recovered fishing nets and post-consumer trash in numerous components such as the speaker and keys. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yc7efuay FCC to tackle broadband discrimination The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced the creation of a new task force charged with establishing regulations that encourage equitable access to broadband as the organization prepares to crack down on digital discrimination. The task group will focus on developing regulations that prevent discrimination in broadband deployment based on a community’s income, racial or…