Amid ranging assessments of the future of the altnet market, panellists also made numerous asks of the new Government, from AI to infrastructure
Portugal: Market restructuring after a failed attempt at consolidation
The combination of the country’s fourth operator (Nowo) and a new entrant (Digi) may be an opportunity to intensify competition facing the ‘big three’ providers
Germany: Long-awaited restrictions on Huawei and ZTE
Mobile operators have agreed to phase out the firms from their 5G networks, with almost 20 other countries already having imposed restrictions on equipment vendors
Portugal: Vodafone/Nowo merger blocked
Despite being in line with the preliminary view, there is still a chance the AdC’s decision could be appealed directly to the Minister of Economy, although this mechanism has only been invoked (successfully) once before
UK: Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 extend network sharing agreement
Together with a balancing of spectrum across industry, the announcement boosts the chances of a Three/Vodafone merger
Event debrief: ISPA ISP Business Summit 2024
Consolidation and the ‘right number’ of fibre networks dominated discussions, with the ultimate survival of some altnets the elephant in the room
Foreign investment in telecoms: The first test of the EC’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation
The EC launches its inaugural investigation under new anti-subsidy rules as e&’s investments raise national security concerns among European governments
Three/Vodafone in the UK: The merging parties’ case to the CMA
Responding to the CMA’s critical Phase 1 assessment, the parties emphasise that the deal will be pro-competitive, enhancing network performance and benefiting consumers
Three/Vodafone in the UK: The rivals’ views on the proposed merger
The pressure is on for the merging parties to evidence the benefits of the deal and outline a meaningful set of commitments
Germany: Spectrum licence renewal rather than revocation and reallocation
While BNetzA has changed tack in its approach to the assignment of key bands, neither established mobile operators nor the new entrant are fully on side
