Telcos urged to embrace horizontal strengths in B2B sales

Telcos are encouraged to leverage their core strengths in connectivity and data services to drive B2B sales, rather than chase vertical specialisation.

Research firm GlobalData argues that while there is a temptation for telcos to deepen sector-specific partnerships, this often leads to unrealistic expectations and costly strategic readjustments. 

“Over three decades of working with telcos, GlobalData has seen many ambitious statements about building up expertise...

21 August 2024 | Operators

Bharti Enterprises to acquire majority stake in BT

Bharti Enterprises has announced plans to acquire a majority stake in BT, the UK’s largest broadband and mobile provider.

Bharti will purchase approximately 24.5% of BT Group from its current top shareholder, Altice. The acquisition will be executed through Bharti Global, the international investment arm of Bharti Enterprises.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, commented on the historical significance of this move: "Bharti and BT have an...

12 August 2024 | 5G

Ofcom tightens rules to combat foreign scam calls

Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, has introduced new measures to protect consumers from scam calls originating overseas. The strengthened industry guidance, announced today, requires phone companies to block calls from abroad that falsely display UK landline numbers.

This move aims to tackle a common tactic used by fraudsters who 'spoof' trusted phone numbers to deceive victims. By imitating numbers from reputable organisations or government departments, scammers increase...

30 July 2024 | 5G

France hit by coordinated attacks on telecom infrastructure

France has been targeted by a new wave of sabotage attacks, this time focusing on telecom operators. The incidents occurred on Sunday night and have affected fibre optic networks across six regions of the country.

French authorities have confirmed that installations belonging to major telecom providers SFR and Bouygues Telecom were vandalised. The attacks appear to be well-coordinated, with damage reported in southern France and near the Luxembourg border, as well as in areas...

29 July 2024 | Broadband

Mint Mobile now includes free Canada roaming

Mint Mobile has announced the inclusion of free roaming services for all its customers visiting the Great White North. This new feature – which includes unlimited talk, text, and 3GB of high-speed data per month – is now available on all Mint Mobile plans.

The announcement comes as part of Mint Mobile's ongoing efforts to enhance customer experience following its acquisition by T-Mobile.

Mint Mobile’s latest benefit adds to the company's existing perks – such as...

12 July 2024 | Networks

Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 extend network sharing

Vodafone UK and Virgin Media O2 have announced a landmark agreement to extend and enhance their mobile network sharing arrangement for over a decade.

The agreement, which builds upon the existing partnership between the two telecom giants, is largely independent of the proposed merger between Vodafone UK and Three UK. However, should the merger receive regulatory approval, the deal includes provisions for Virgin Media O2 to acquire spectrum from the newly formed entity, dubbed...

3 July 2024 | 5G

Nokia and Telefónica partner to boost Spanish private 5G networks

Nokia and Telefónica have announced a three-year agreement to develop the private 5G network market in Spain. The collaboration aims to enhance productivity, worker safety, and sustainability across key mission-critical industries such as ports, manufacturing, and logistics.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nokia will deploy 100 units of its advanced solutions, including Digital Automation Cloud (DAC), Modular Private Wireless (MPW), MX Industrial Edge (MXIE), and Industrial...

1 July 2024 | 5G

GSMA Open Gateway: Unlocking mobile networks’ potential with APIs

In a new report, the GSMA has provided an update on its Open Gateway initiative first introduced in 2023.

Open Gateway leverages mobile networks' global reach by providing access to network capabilities through common application programming interfaces (APIs). One year on, the initiative boasts nearly 50 operator sign-ups—representing about two-thirds of the global mobile market share.

The initiative's success hinges on the deployment of its APIs. Currently, 17 APIs...

20 June 2024 | 5G

SK Telecom announces $10M investment in Perplexity AI

SK Telecom (SKT) has announced a $10 million investment in generative AI search engine startup Perplexity AI.

The partnership enhances SKT’s presence in the field of generative AI search technology, an area that has drawn considerable interest from major tech companies. The collaboration is expected to bolster SKT's 'AI personal assistant' services.

Perplexity, a rapidly growing rival to Google, has already established a formidable presence in the AI search...

13 June 2024 | Hot Topics

The power of Android device management platforms for telcos

The market opportunity for telecommunications and managed service providers to lease smart devices to their customers is significant and multi-faceted. 

Leasing smart devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, smart TVs and set top boxes, allows telcos and other service providers to generate additional revenue streams beyond traditional subscription services. By offering leased device bundled as part of their service packages, telcos can attract more customers and increase...

30 May 2024 | Telecoms