Africa & Middle East Telecoms News
All the latest telecoms insight, news and analysis from across Africa and the Middle East, including BT, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica and Vodafone.
Financial & Performance
Safaricom pushes homegrown smartphones to keep mobile data momentum
Kenyan operator looks to boost 4G smartphone penetration to fuel customer and mobile data service revenue growth, but challenging economic conditions leaves consumers with less money to spend on new devices.
Financial & Performance
Vodafone Turkey rises as Group’s star growth performer
Group management gives special attention to Turkish OpCo and its leadership with effusive praise for delivering outsized revenue growth in latest results.
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M&A
Vodacom sticking with fibre co-build strategy despite blocked merger
CEO Shameel Joosub reiterates belief in co-investment and co-build fibre projects rather than overbuild, despite MAZIV setback.
Financial & Performance
Safaricom takes hit from Ethiopia biz but stays upbeat on long-term potential
More tumult from Safaricom’s Ethiopian venture as local currency depreciation pummels the Group’s earnings in H1 FY24–25, but Chief Executive Peter Ndegwa keeps eye on long-term prize from growing market.
Partnerships & Alliances
Vodafone’s $14bn brand continues to shrink as Hungary swap-out confirmed
Vodafone’s global brand presence dilutes further as 4iG-owned Vodafone Hungary prepares for name change.
Weekly Briefings
Vodafonewatch Weekly: shots fired in Italy as mergers progress
Latest in and around Vodafone, including Swisscom CEO’s sharp words for Iliad, which is circling as Vodafone Italy gets ready to merge with Fastweb; Group H1 earnings incoming with performance in Germany among the focuses; UK merger gets conditional clearance; Instant Networks sent to Valencia…
People
Vodafone Peoplewatch: c-suite changes across the footprint
30+ senior and strategic changes at Vodafone and its partners, including more as shared operations resets; interim Business boss exits; board rotations at Investments operators; C-suite appointments in Germany and Czechia; and a familiar face brought in at Safaricom Ethiopia…
Weekly Briefings
Vodafonewatch Weekly: Group reset puts telco-as-a-service front and centre
Latest from Vodafone and its ecosystem as B2T unit launches to commercialise shared operations; M&A attempts blocked in South Africa and started in Romania; and a new Iliad move on Italian assets midway through antitrust hearings…
M&A
Vodacom considers appeal after courts block MAZIV fibre plans
Proposed South African fibre JV blocked by Competition Tribunal after lengthy review process, but details of decision not yet published.
Weekly Briefings
Vodafonewatch Weekly: Group taps mega-deals with Accenture, Google, e&, more
Latest from Vodafone and its ecosystem, including an extended deal with Google for GenAI deployment; Accenture-backed reset for shared services operation VOIS; e& tie-up feeds into UAE IoT contract…
People
Safaricom melds IT and network leadership under new boss Maitai
James Maitai heads back from Ethiopia to run Safaricom’s Kenyan network and IT department.