Public Affairs – Page 9
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Public AffairsVodafoneZiggo suspends employee over transgressive behaviour
Dutch JV “shocked” by revelations. Investigation launched amid multiple reports of unacceptable behaviour.
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Public AffairsAlierta era scandal still haunting Telefónica
Telefónica pays €6m into court to cover potential civil liabilities linked to trial of disgraced former advisor Rodrigo Rato. Newspaper speculation portrays Rato’s co-defendant, former Telefónica counsel Sánchez de Lerín, as “the man with the briefcase of secrets” linked to the telco. Rato litigation an ongoing hangover from earlier ...
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Public AffairsM-PESA cleared for Ethiopian launch
State Minister of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance anticipates wider Safaricom launch “sometime in April”. M-PESA app will be introduced to a new market of 116 million people. Question marks remain regarding third telecoms licence in the country.
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Public AffairsOTE handed €9m fine for data protection failings
Greek operator deemed to have infringed on GDPR law in 2020 data leak. Fines handed to Cosmote mobile operator and OTE Group parent.
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Public AffairsSafaricom staff caught in police “trap” after data fraud
Court hearing details how two Safaricom employees were caught attempting to sell subscriber data. Operator commits to fraud reduction initiatives.
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Public AffairsTelefónica handed EC fine for Brazilian non-compete deal
Decade-long proceedings close with Telefónica — along with Pharol — ordered to hand over €79m for antitrust breach. European Commission findings upheld despite yo-yoing, with final charge held for Telefónica and down slightly for Pharol.
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Public AffairsCellnex offers CMA deal to secure Hutchison UK tower merger
Spanish InfraCo willing to sell enough sites from its existing estate to enable a new UK tower player to emerge, and overcome CMA concerns on competition linked to its planned CKH infrastructure acquisition. Four companies have already stepped forward as potential buyers. CTIL objects to being positioned as a ...
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Public AffairsDCMS told to get a grip on Project Gigabit
“Disappointed” accounts committee frustrated by lack of measurable progress and clear plans for reaching 2025 target of 85% ultrafast coverage. Department blasted for lack of meaningful legislation on removal of barriers to deployment. DCMS still seeking clarity from operators on national rollout plans.
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Public AffairsOfcom details O2 UK ‘carelessness’ in billing investigation
Regulator publishes 74-page document highlighting the extent of O2 UK feet-dragging in its investigation as to why the operator overcharged customers during a seven-year period. Demands O2 UK review its processes and systems to ensure accuracy and completeness of responses to information requests in future. Restates view that £150,000 ...
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Public AffairsVodacom, MTN pick sides in South African auction saga
Operators unite with South African regulator as rival Telkom requests further delays. Any success for Telkom would represent a sixth postponement of the auction, currently set to take place by the end of March.
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Public AffairsÁlvarez-Pallete warns of dangers of “digital slavery”
Telefónica Executive Chairman asserts that societal imbalance and data exploitation are risks that must be addressed as the world’s economies are digitised. Dire warnings of ‘slavery’ fit with Group commitments on creation of a digital rights framework that would see operators positioned as trusted partners.
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Public AffairsTelco giants join iPhone encryption battle
Vodafone, Telefónica, and Orange add to voices calling for encryption technologies to be outlawed. EC asked to stop iPhones denying data access. Assertion comes amid wider controversy involving monitoring of illegal activity.
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Public AffairsEthiopia presses pause on third licence contest
Regulator initiates another stoppage after interested parties request delay over RFP “concerns”. Move adds to sense of turbulence around Safaricom’s planned entrance into the country during 2022.
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Public AffairsEricsson loses latest skirmish in Telefónica Avatar saga
Ericsson blocked from unilaterally changing working conditions for employees transferred from Telefónica in 2010 in conjunction with the AltamirA platform acquisition. A renewed deal linked to the platform removes Telefónica’s minimum spend commitment.
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Public AffairsBT slammed for lack of action on spoofing
IP altnet pokes incumbent over limited success in rooting out fraudulent use of caller ID. BT focused on industry collaboration to address fraud challenge. Migration to all-IP by 2025 portrayed as critical to effective remedies for the problem.
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Public AffairsT-Mobile rides cyberattack storm
Operator’s Q3 numbers indicate few customers ditched its services in wake of high-profile data breach in August 2021. Competitor exploitation of Sprint integration challenges highlighted as bigger issue, albeit one TMUS intends to make “short-lived”. TMUS highlights organisational and cultural changes in response to attack.
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Public AffairsAltnets gird for legal battle over Openreach FTTP pricing — report
CityFibre said to be heading up legal challenge to Ofcom’s Equinox decision. Rural fibre builder Gigaclear among altnets joining forces to fight back against Openreach’s lower FTTP pricing structure.
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Public AffairsPhones 4u saga continues with ‘burner’ phone allegation
Former Orange exec Benoit Scheen attempted to arrange untraceable call to collude with Vodafone, according to High Court claim. Illicit text messages uncovered as part of evidence discovery.
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Public AffairsVodafone Pass reviewed following EU judgement
ECJ goes further than expected by consumer group. VfD may be forced to provide the same terms and conditions through EU. Other European OpCos could be affected.
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Public AffairsUK government defends Ethiopian mobile investment
Vodafone and CDC investment in Ethiopian mobile operator crops up in parliamentary debate on Tigray humanitarian crisis. Investment deemed to be “right” and long term. CDC emphasises role as impact investor with a lot of patience. Vodacom agrees to fund Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia.