News

The group will meet today with PM Rishi Sunak to discuss the state of the UK economy and explore options for boosting the economy

Today, the UK government has unveiled fourteen chief executives that will form a new business council set to advise the Prime Minister on economic policy.

The group comprises the CEOs of AstraZeneca, NatWest Group, BAE, SSE, Google DeepMind, Sainsbury’s, Vodafone, GSK, Aviva, Shell, Sage, Taylor Wimpey, Diageo, and Barclays.

Together, they represent many of the UK’s largest industries, including banking, pharmaceuticals, retail, construction, energy, tech, insurance, telecoms, and defence.

Unsurprisingly, these companies are also some of the UK’s most valuable; nine of the companies represented are in the UK’s top 30 listed businesses, with only the relative newcomer, AI specialist Google DeepMind, not being featured on the FTSE 100.

Combined, the fourteen companies reportedly employ around 330,000 people in the UK.

“I look forward to hearing first-hand from business leaders about how we can break down the barriers they face and unlock new opportunities for them to thrive,” said PM Rishi Sunak. “The more businesses innovate and invest, the more we grow and create good jobs across the country.”

The business council will reportedly convene twice a year and will be refreshed at the end of 2023.

Today’s meeting will reportedly focus on the economic climate, inflation, skill shortages, and the ongoing impacts of Brexit.

As far as all this relates to the telecoms sector, the inclusion of new CEO of Vodafone Group, Margherita Della Valle, is noteworthy.

Della Valle was made permanent CEO of Vodafone back in April, having held the position on an interim basis since the end of 2022. Since the resignation of previous CEO Nick Read at the end of last year, she has been outlining plans to turn around the company’s dwindling fortunes, declaring its most recent financial results “not good enough”.

The company currently has plans to cut around 11,000 jobs across Europe over the next three years, including a significant number at the company’s UK headquarters, as well as streamlining operations across its portfolio.

Perhaps most notably, the company is in the process of merging its UK operations with those of CK Hutchison’s Three UK. The £15 billion deal would create a telecoms powerhouse with the scale to threaten the hegemony of BT, potentially making Vodafone the most powerful player in the UK market.

The deal is still awaiting the results of regulatory scrutiny.

“I am pleased to be joining the Business Council, an important forum to promote and support the global competitiveness of the UK. We have a vital part to play in the UK’s future, as our national communications infrastructure can help drive innovation and economic growth,” said Della Valle.

Aside from Vodafone, the other natural fit for a telecoms representative on this council would be Philip Jansen, the CEO of BT. As head of the largest UK telco, as well as one of the country’s largest employers in the country, Jansen would seem ideally placed to help steer the PM on the UK economy’s digitalisation.

However, just last week it was announced that Jansen is seeking to step down from the role of CEO over the next year, with analysts suggesting he had been on “shaky ground” for time due to the company’s disappointing results.

Shares in BT have fallen around 45% during Jansen’s four-year tenure.

Finally, it is also worth quickly noting here the lack of representation of SMEs on this business council. There are reportedly, 5.5 million SMEs in the UK, representing 99.9% of UK private sector businesses, yet none of these

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), one of the largest lobbying groups in the country, which represents around 160,000 SMEs, has been quick to criticise the composition of the business council, calling it full of “corporate bigwigs” and “suits”.

How much of a key role does the telcoms play in growing the UK’s economy? Join the ecosystem in discussion at this year’s Connected Britain conference, the UK’s largest digital economy event

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Broadband ISP BeFibre has today announced that their new gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, which is being built by sister company Digital Infrastructure (DI), has finally gone live for 12,000 “residents” (coverage) in the Lancashire (England) town of Skelmersdale. At present Skelmersdale only has patchy FTTP coverage by Openreach and very little in the way […]

VIEWPOINT

EXA continues to expand and enhance its network and is committed to being the industry trailblazer by building the connectivity that underpins the digital economy. EXA Infrastructure VP Network Investments Steve Roberts

In 2023, EXA’s capex investment will continue to grow, with 20 approved investment projects which encompasses 10,940kms of new footprint, increasing EXA’s network size to 125,000 kms. EXA’s investment focus is all about serving the needs of new and existing customers, and providing high quality, reliable and scalable infrastructure.

EXA is leading the way in terms of large-scale network expansion projects, further diversifying network routes, ensuring customer requirements for resilient connectivity between data centres and cable landing stations.

As a dedicated owner and operator of digital infrastructure, EXA is not only investing in its network expansion but also improving performance and capability by implementing the latest innovations in the optical layer, passing these enhancements and improvements directly to our customer base.

Providing critical connectivity to our existing and new customers is what drives us as we continue to lead the investment across the industry. This drive is being powered by the demand in data traffic but also as we continue with our promise to become the undisputed data centre to data centre connectivity provider.

 

We will be in touch – contact us – EXA Infrastructure

Network access provider Openreach (BT) today claims to have launched a “game changer” new Ethernet product – OSA 100G Single (Optical Spectrum Access), which is designed to provide businesses or broadband ISPs with a dedicated, secure and always-on 100Gbps fibre optic data link that comes at a fairly attractive price point. The OSA 100G Single […]

News

In total, Vodafone will have raised around €5.4 billion from the spinning off and sale of Vantage Towers

Today, Vodafone Group has announced that it will continue to divest of its stake in Vantage Towers, today noting that it has received an additional €500 million from a consortium of infrastructure investors.

Vodafone spun off its European tower assets as Vantage Towers back in the summer of 2020, arguing that the move would simplify its portfolio, monetise its valuable passive assets, and provide vital capital for its 5G and fibre rollouts in various markets.

Shortly after announcing the spin off, Vodafone announced it would float Vantage on the Frankfurt stock market, with the subsequent IPO raising almost €2.6 billion and leaving Vodafone with a 82% stake in the business.

The company’s time on the stock market did not last long, however. After just over a year, at the end of 2022, Vodafone announced that it was selling part of its stake in Vantage towers to a pan-European towerco to a consortium of investment firms KKR & Co., Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP,) and The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF). As part of this ‘landmark moment’, Vodafone said that it would also form a joint venture with the consortium partners, to buy-out the minority shareholders.

This joint venture was named Oak Holdings and today owns an 89% stake in Vantage Towers.

Now, Vodafone’s latest dealings will see it reduce its ownership in Oak Holdings from 64% to 60%, while the private equity consortium will increase its stake to 40%. In total, the exchange will see Vodafone receive an additional €500 million, taking its total proceeds from the sale of Vantage to €5.4 billion.

The number of shares changing hands may not stop here, however, with the agreement allowing the consortium to purchase additional shares to increase their stake in Oak Holdings up to 50% by the end of 2023. Following this period, Vodafone will have a year to sell down its stake to 50% if it so chooses.

Vantage Towers owns and operates roughly 84,600 towers in ten European markets, making it a highly attractive long-term investment for private investors.

For Vodafone, meanwhile, the cash injection could not come at a better time, with the company’s last financial results dubbed “not good enough” by new CEO Margherita Della Valle.

How is the tower infrastructure market evolving in 2023? Join the telecoms ecosystem in discussion at this year’s Total Telecom Congress live in Amsterdam

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Press Release

EllaLink, a leading submarine cable operator, today announced a strategic reorganization of its sales division to better align with market demand and capitalize on its expanding volume of opportunities.

The company will be creating two distinct units: a Subsea Infrastructure Development unit and a Global Sales Unit. Whilst the Subsea Infrastructure Development Unit will concentrate efforts on expanding EllaLink footprint, the Global sales unit will focus on attending the growing demand for capacity and infrastructure services on our existing routes.

Under the new structure, Vincent Gatineau is appointed as Senior Vice-President of Subsea Infrastructure Development, assuming responsibilities for driving the company’s efforts in expanding EllaLink’s subsea cable network, ensuring the infrastructure meets the evolving requirements of global connectivity. He will lead a team of dedicated professionals who will focus on the strategic planning, design, and execution of submarine cable projects, as well as strengthening relationships with key partners and stakeholders.

Simultaneously, Vlad Ihora is joining EllaLink as Senior Vice-President of Global Sales. Vlad will be at the helm of a dynamic sales team, tasked with nurturing existing client relationships and cultivating new business opportunities worldwide. His primary objectives will include developing and executing sales strategies, identifying potential markets and customers, and ensuring consistent revenue growth for the organization. He brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of driving sales success in the industry.

To reinforce the Global Sales Unit, EllaLink has nominated Cidália Tavares as Customer Service Manager serving as a liaison between customer, sales, and production; managing escalations and assuring quality standards; and focusing on continuously improving our service levels.

 

 

According to Philippe Dumont, CEO at EllaLink, “The decision to reorganize the Marketing & Sales division comes as a response to the evolving needs and demands of the market. With the rapid growth of digital connectivity, the submarine cable industry has witnessed an unprecedented surge in demand to expand into new routes and serve with improved latency and resilience new geographies. By realigning its resources and expertise, EllaLink aims to enhance its ability to deliver innovative solutions and exceptional customer experiences while maximizing business opportunities.”

Want to learn all of the latest developments in the subsea cable industry? Join the ecosystem in discussion at Submarine Networks EMEA, the world’s largest subsea telecoms event

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Mobile operator Vodafone UK has today announced that they’ve begun to deploy Ericsson’s new single Interleaved AIR 3218 antenna, which aims to increase the mid-band (radio spectrum) capacity of their 5G (mobile broadband) network and without creating any additional antenna footprint at their various network sites. The new antenna, which brings Massive MIMO (massive multiple-input […]

Network operator Digital Infrastructure (DI), which is being supported by broadband ISP BeFibre, has today announced that they’ve signed a new multi-year partnership with global supply chain solutions provider Wesco Anixter to support their ongoing UK rollout of a new gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network. The operator, which began its rollout in 2021 and aims […]

Fern Trading-backed UK ISP Giganet (Cuckoo) has today announced that they’ve completed the first phase of their £250 million deployment of a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network, which aims to reach poorly served homes and businesses across parts of Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire in England. Just to recap. Back in 2021 the provider pledged […]

VIEWPOINT

Bahrain Network is carrying out several initiatives to ensure that it is able to achieve the objectives of Bahrain Vision 2030, which was established in 2008 to provide a roadmap for the industry to work around the pillars of sustainability, competitiveness and fairness. Bahrain Vision 2030 is working towards creating a foundation of robust and future-ready communication networks for businesses and people.

“We are targeting to complete the full island coverage by the end of the year, connecting 100% of businesses and over 95% of residences. We plan to place Bahrain at the number one rank in terms of broadband speeds and availability throughout the country,” says Ahmed Jaber Aldoseri, CEO of Bahrain Network (BNET). He was speaking in an interview with Shaun Collins, Executive Chairman of CCS Insight.

Focusing on Bahrain Vision 2030 has resulted in an average of 7% growth year-on-year of non-oil sectors in the country. Besides, telecommunications and ICT industries are contributing about 7% of the country’s GDP as of last year.

 

Raging Ahead

As per Bahrain’s fifth National Telecommunication Plan (NTP5), BNET was formed to accelerate the growth and economic diversification of the country’s telecom sector. In 2019, the network infrastructure of Batelco was transferred to BNET and the latter became the only fibre network infrastructure provider in the country, which is responsible for deploying and managing fixed wholesale broadband and domestic connectivity services to licensed operators and its retail arm.

The company faced several challenges as the entire process of division from the incumbent operator occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, which required us to complete the entire separation in two years, and I am happy to say that we concluded it successfully.

“BNET was built on the principle of equivalence of input. This means that after the separation of the incumbent operator, BNET had the exclusive right over the infrastructure in Bahrain and was required to ensure that everyone in Bahrain was treated equally, which meant that we had to transform the mindset of the employees to work in a customer-centric manner. This further required us to ensure that our products met with the expectations of everyone in the industry,” says Ahmed Jaber Aldoseri.

The company is also taking the lead in creating a best-in-class and future-ready communications infrastructure. BNET ensures that the network infrastructure adopts open standards in all possible ways. BNET is also the only private company from Bahrain to be a member of the ITU-T, which ensures that it always keeps abreast of the latest technological developments in telecom.

“We are a cloud-native company and the only one in the region with this status, which means that our adoption of new technologies is faster, more reliable, and more robust. We also ensure that BNET is available in most industry fora to participate and effectively collaborate with its key stakeholders for the benefit of Bahrain,” elaborates Ahmed Jaber Aldoseri.

BNET is also focusing on expanding in adjacent markets and growing the scope of services it offers while ensuring Bahrain has a competitive offering when it comes to telecommunications infrastructure regionally and internationally.

A best-in-class telecom network is crucial to helping businesses quickly digitally transform themselves and realize their potential in the digital economy. As the demands from communications networks continue to increase, BNET has adopted a proactive approach to building networks that will help Bahrain grow its profile in the digital economy. BNET’s approach to focus on Bahrain Vision 2030 will motivate other service providers to build networks that drive the region’s economy.