MVNO Monday: a guide to the week’s virtual operator developments
Ride-hailing app Uber has launched an MVNO in Brazil under the Uber Chip name. The service went live on 21 January and has been developed for use by Uber drivers... more
25 Jan 2021
Wireless
Belgium cabinet approves draft legislation for 5G auction
The Belgian government approved draft legislation on 22 January which will finally enable the country’s long-delayed 5G mobile spectrum auction to be staged. The cabinet approved five royal decrees proposed... more
Togolese telecoms regulator ushers in greater consumer protections
Togo’s Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority (ARCEP) has announced it is introducing a range of measures designed to strengthen consumer protections, including imposing fairer pricing, Agence Ecofin reports. ARCEP... more
Vodafone begins 3G switch-off in Italy
Vodafone Italy has begun the process of decommissioning its 3G mobile network with a full shutdown planned for the end of February, Mondo Mobile Web reports. The telco announced in... more
Broadband
CityFibre confirms its network now passes more than 500,000 premises
British pure fibre provider CityFibre has confirmed to ISPreview that its in-deployment fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network is now available to more than half a million premises across the country. The report... more
First home connected as part of Ireland’s National Broadband Plan
A residential property in Cork last week became the first home connected as part of Ireland’s National Broadband Plan (NBP), the Irish Independent reports. According to National Broadband Ireland (NBI),... more
M-net rolls out 45,000 new fibre connections in Munich
German regional operator M-net has activated fibre-to-the-building (FTTB) connections for an additional 45,000 households in Munich. The new deployment areas include Milbertshofen, Freimann South, Siebenbrunn, Neupasing, Nymphenburg North, Oberfoehring East... more
Corporate/Financial
Orange sells 50% interest in fibre unit Orange Concessions
French telecoms operator Orange has established a fibre-optic unit Orange Concessions, with half of its interest in the new company to be sold to Caisse des Depots, CNP Assurances and... more
Italy’s CDP asks for more time to study Open Fiber share sale
The Italian state-backed investment fund Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) has requested further time to conduct negotiations regarding the sale of a stake in national wholesale network operator Open Fiber,... more
Rating agency speculates that Airtel Lanka may seek M&A due to ‘intense competition’
For the second time in ten months, Fitch Ratings has suggested that mobile network operator (MNO) Airtel Lanka may look to secure a merger with or acquisition by a larger... more