The government began debating the Draft Trade (Mobile Roaming) Regulations 2023 in parliament yesterday, which at present represents an extension of the UK-Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein free trade agreement that contains provisions for regulating (capping) mobile roaming charges at wholesale (calls, texts and mobile broadband). At present, most of the market’s primary mobile network operators, […]

The Government of South Korea has set somewhat of a marker down for the world this week after announcing that they would aim to bring forward the timetable for launching the first commercial 6G based mobile network, which would see it being introduced from 2028 instead of 2030 (with pre-6G trials staring in 2026). At […]

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The telecommunications equipment vendor said it would cut around 1,400 jobs in its home market of Sweden

This week, Ericsson has announced that it is seeking to reduce its company headcount in Sweden by 1,400 people, having agreed with trade unions to implement a voluntary redundancy scheme.

Exactly which departments of the business will be most affected by these cuts is not yet clear.

Ericsson currently employs around 15,000 people in its home country, with its global workforce totalling around 100,000 staff.

These cuts should not come as too great a surprise. The global economic situation, with high inflation and a myriad of supply chain issues, has left operators wary about scaling up their expensive RAN equipment rollouts, with Ericsson seeing a corresponding dip in revenue.

As such, at the end of last year, Ericsson announced that it would look to implement major cost-saving measures across its business, with the aim of saving 9 billion kronor (roughly $870 million) by the end of 2023. Naturally, this process was to include job cuts, though the specific details were not announced at the time.

Now, Ericsson has shared some further details of the process, which also includes cuts to consultants and other streamlining measures.

“As previously announced, Ericsson has accelerated cost improvements at a run-rate of SEK 9 crowns globally by the end of 2023, of which 70 percent in cost of goods sold and 30 percent in SG&A. The cost savings cover various areas such as reduction of consultants, streamlining of processes, reduced facilities, etc. As previously announced, it will also include headcount reduction,” explained the company in a statement.

According to Reuters, additional cuts in other markets are expected to be announced in the near future.

It is worth noting here that Ericsson is not the only technology company to be making major job cuts in recent months. Meta, Google, and Microsoft have been among the litany of major tech firms to announce significant layoffs since the start of 2023, with the economic downturn biting into revenues worldwide.

Keep up with all the latest international telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

Also in the news:
AT&T signs up to use Frontier’s fibre to connect mobile towers
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VMO2 and Vodafone give rural Scotland a 4G boost

Press Release

Vodafone today announced plans to expand its European collaboration with Google in mobile messaging services, Pixel devices, and Vodafone’s TV platform.

The expanded agreement between the companies will enable Vodafone customers to enjoy rich new messaging experiences through the adoption of Google Jibe Cloud to power Vodafone’s use of Rich Communications Services. The agreement will also introduce the Pixel 7 handset to Vodafone customers and build out Vodafone functionality for other Pixel categories. Android TV will also be adopted as the preferred platform for Vodafone’s television offer in nine countries. The expanded agreement will also enable Google to leverage further the power of Vodafone’s 5G and ultra-fast fibre-optic networks.

“Google and Vodafone are teaming up to bring users modern messaging with RCS, an engaging interactive TV experience and exciting new Android smartphones,” said Hiroshi Lockheimer, Senior Vice President of Platforms and Ecosystems at Google. “We appreciate the partnership with Vodafone and we’re excited to delight our millions of mutual customers across Europe.”

Aldo Bisio, Chief Commercial Officer of Vodafone Group, added: “Expanding our excellent relationship with Google further will enable us to leverage their technological innovation to provide our consumer and business customers with engaging new experiences built on best-in-class services, all of which will be underpinned by our 5G and Gigafast broadband networks.

Vodafone’s expanded relationship with Google will span three strategic areas:

Messaging – Messages by Google, powered by Google’s Jibe Cloud, will become the default messaging app on all applicable Android devices sold via Vodafone‘s carrier sales channels. Vodafone users will benefit from an interactive modern messaging experience by supporting the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard, which works on all Android smartphones, regardless of model or mobile network. This includes supporting high quality photos and videos, read receipts, enhanced group messaging and encryption for one-to-one chats – all with the highest level of data privacy and security. Vodafone Business customers will also benefit from the expanded relationship with Google, as messaging becomes an increasingly critical channel for businesses of all sizes to connect with consumers. Vodafone’s adoption of Google’s RCS business messaging platform, which today serves over 500 million users across the globe, will dramatically simplify business onboarding and operations, helping businesses engage with consumers through innovative conversational experiences for services and sales.

Pixel devices – Vodafone plans to expand the availability of Pixel smartphone and wearable devices to additional markets in 2023. Vodafone mobile customers in these countries will be able to use the fantastic new Pixel 7 phone, as well as Pixel Watch and Pixel Buds, with Vodafone’s award-winning 5G coverage. Vodafone and Google will also significantly improve the experience of other connected devices, including the Pixel Watch, through Vodafone’s mobile network and OneNumber service.

Vodafone TV – Vodafone will use Android TV as its preferred Group-wide set top box platform for Vodafone TV services going forward, allowing customers to continue to access the widest range of entertainment through VTV, and, now, enjoy thousands of apps and games available on Google Play through the intuitive VTV interface.

Keep up with all the latest international telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

Also in the news:
AT&T signs up to use Frontier’s fibre to connect mobile towers
UScellular urges customers to put down their phones in latest initiative
VMO2 and Vodafone give rural Scotland a 4G boost

Back in early 2022 we reported on the impact of major data centre closures to UK full fibre broadband ISPs and other operators, which included mention of Equinix‘s plan to close their MA2 IBX data centre in Manchester by June 2023 (here). The good news today is that Lunar Digital has saved the data centre […]

The parents of broadband, mobile and TV provider Virgin Media (VMO2) are allegedly exploring the possibility of a £100m bid to takeover Kent-based ISP Trooli, which is aims to deploy a gigabit-speed full fibre (FTTP) network to 1 million UK premises by the end of 2024 (in August 2022 they reported 275,000 completed). The operator […]

Infracapital-backed network builder and broadband ISP Ogi, which is investing £200m to build a full fibre (FTTP) network across 150,000 premises in rural parts of Wales by 2025, has moved to “enhance its customer experience” by adopting Localz technology to improve how it handles end-user installations. The provider, which has so far covered 42,000 premises […]

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Sources suggest that Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) is lining up a potential bid for the alternative fibre operator

According to a report from Sky News, VMO2 is among a number of players interested in purchasing UK altnet Trooli, with analysts suggesting the deal could carry a price tag of over £100 million.

Rumours about a potential sale have been swirling since at least two weeks ago, when it was reported that the company had appointed business sale and restructuring specialist David Duggins to their Board.

Founded back in 2003, Trooli has grown to become a significant player in the UK’s fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) ecosystem.

In August last year, the company announced they had achieved coverage of roughly 275,000 UK premises with FTTP, primarily focussed on rural and semi-rural locations in Berkshire, Dorset, and Kent.

Trooli said at the time that they aimed to reach 400,000 by the end of the 2022, with their ultimate goal being to pass one million premises by the end of 2024.

Around this time last year, it seemed that Trooli’s upward trajectory was set to continue, with reports suggesting that the company was planning to raise £200 million via an equity sale to further accelerate its rollout.

More recently, however, it seems that Trooli’s ambitions may have been reined in by the pressures of the global economy, with rising inflation, soaring energy costs, and a stuttering supply chain all contributing to a slower and more costly rollout programme.

Against this backdrop, it should come as little surprise that investor appetite for backing fibre infrastructure companies like Trooli has waned in recent months.

As a result, a sale of Trooli could be the most interesting option for the company’s shareholders, with the move offering VMO2 a cost-effective way to expand its nationwide footprint.

How is the altnet landscape changing in 2023? Join the fibre ecosystem in discussion at this year’s Connected North even live in Manchester

Also in the news:
AT&T signs up to use Frontier’s fibre to connect mobile towers
UScellular urges customers to put down their phones in latest initiative
VMO2 and Vodafone give rural Scotland a 4G boost

Press Release

Nokia and Tele2 have announced that they have entered a collaboration in Sweden. Enterprises will be able to leverage robust, reliable, 5G private wireless to connect assets and unlock valuable operational data, to realize cost, efficiency, and sustainability goals.

Tele2 can offer its customers private wireless 5G, using a solution based on the high-performance Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) end-to-end private wireless networking and edge computing platform. Enterprises will be able to benefit from secure, robust, low latency asset connectivity and real-time on-site data processing. Using this data in conjunction with analytics, Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), they can implement Industry 4.0 business critical use cases such as remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, autonomous vehicles and robots and zero fault manufacturing.

Stefan Trampus, EVP B2B at Tele2, said: “There is a growing demand for tailored private wireless solutions among our enterprise customers. Offering the solution will allow customers to speed deployment and implement new capabilities as their needs evolve. Together with Nokia, we can address enterprise digitalization needs, and expand into new business segments.

Raghav Sahgal, President of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia, said: “We have extensive expertise with 560 large private wireless customers across an array of sectors worldwide. We believe there is significant business potential for private wireless in Sweden. While to date, most of the enterprises who have already deployed private wireless in the country are in the manufacturing segment, there are compelling opportunities for other industries including mining, power plants, construction, agriculture, healthcare and public services, to transform operations using the technology. We are pleased to work with Tele2 as part of their network offer and demonstrate the use cases that will allow enterprises in Sweden to transform their operations for the Industry 4.0 era.”

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

Also in the news:
AT&T signs up to use Frontier’s fibre to connect mobile towers
UScellular urges customers to put down their phones in latest initiative
VMO2 and Vodafone give rural Scotland a 4G boost

UK ISP Voneus, which is busy deploying both gigabit-capable Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband networks across rural parts of England and Wales, has decided to replace their current CEO and co-founder – Steve Leighton – with a new boss in the shape of Christopher Traggio. The provider currently has a “near term” […]