Retail

Jul 3, 2019

How Telefonica Hung Up on Central America

After months of speculation linking Spanish telecom giant Telefonica to a sale of its Central American operations, in January and February 2019 the group agreed to offload all five of its units in the region. Today we look at the deals in question and evaluate how they’ll impact the competitive landscape in Central America.

Jun 17, 2019

Our Forecast? 1.9 billion 5G Users by 2025.

As more and more 5G mobile networks are launched, we’ve become curious about how the market will fare in the coming years.

According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Forecast Service, the cellular market as a whole will be home to almost 9 billion subscriptions by the end of 2025, up from around 7.8 billion in December 2018. This excludes fixed-wireless and machine-to-machine/internet of things connections.

May 14, 2019

Tower Power: Supporting the World’s Cellcos

Spain-based telecom infrastructure firm Cellnex announced a series of deals to acquire mobile towers in three European countries.

The $3 billion (EUR2.7 billion) transaction will see Cellnex buying network equipment from Iliad in France and Italy, as well as Salt in Switzerland.

Apr 16, 2019

MVNO Market Maintains Upward Trajectory

The market for MVNO services remains buoyant. Customers of resellers accounted for 4.6% of all mobile users worldwide at the end of 2018. This is up from 4.3% a year earlier and less than 2% in December 2011.

Apr 11, 2019

Bulking Up in the Balkans: Tracking Consolidation in Southeastern Europe

Mirroring regional M&A trends elsewhere in the world, southeastern Europe is the latest geographic area to see significant consolidation–both in-market and cross-border.

Mar 26, 2019

How Nextel Disappeared from Latin America

Mexican telecom giant America Movil (AM) recently struck an agreement to acquire 100 percent of Nextel Brazil from its co-owners, U.S.-based NII Holdings (70 percent) and AI Brazil Holdings (30 percent). They’ll pay $905 million for the business.

When the deal receives regulatory approval, Nextel will likely merge with AM’s existing Claro business. This will make use of Nextel’s substantial spectrum holdings in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Mar 12, 2019

Rakuten Aims to Make a Splash in Japan

Japan has one of the most technologically advanced mobile markets in the world. Three well-established players–NTT DOCOMO, KDDI, and Softbank–dominate the sector. 

When combined, these three claimed over 170 million subscribers at the end of 2018.

Feb 21, 2019

Huawei: No Way or All the Way?

Chinese equipment manufacturer Huawei Technologies has found itself in the spotlight following accusations of espionage, fraud, by-passing Iranian trade sanctions, and threats to cyber-security.

The company is now facing a backlash from a growing number of governments and telcos around the world.

Jan 17, 2019

When is 5G not 5G?

U.S. telco AT&T has come under criticism from rivals for pushing its “5G Evolution” technology.

But critics might want to take a long look in the mirror, as many have been guilty of similar marketing hyperbole.

Jan 14, 2019

A Guide to 5G Spectrum Auctions in the Gulf States: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE

As the telecom world prepares to enter the 5G era, our GlobalComms team has been tracking major 5G auctions around the globe. Catch up on all of them here.

Today we’ll look at what’s happening in major markets in the Middle East. We'll explore what’s happening in the Arab States that border the Persian Gulf, with a focus on Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).