Verizon’s shock agreement to acquire ISP giant Frontier Communications in a $20 billion all-cash deal looks set to herald a new era of fixed-mobile convergence in the U.S. telecom market.
The takeover—which is expected to close in 18 months, subject to regulatory approval—follows a series of eye-catching fiber-related announcements involving chief rivals AT&T Communications and T-Mobile US.
Today, we take a look at the respective fiber strategies of the “Big Three” U.S. mobile operators.
The first commercial 5G mobile networks were launched in Europe in mid-2019. Roughly one year later, most countries’ main mass-market rollouts were already underway.
The technology continues to grow in popularity as network deployments progress. At the end of June 2024, there were an estimated 190 million 5G subscriptions across Europe, up from around 130 million a year earlier.
In European markets where 5G is available, the technology accounts for an average of 27% of all mobile subscriptions.
British telecom regulator Ofcom recently published its Connected Nations report for 2023.
The latest findings indicate that 17.1 million premises—or 57% of the United Kingdom—had access to full-fiber fixed broadband as of September 2023. This is an increase of 15 percentage points—or 4.6 million premises—when compared to the same point in 2022.
In May 2021, TeleGeography reviewed the early stages of development of 6G mobile technology. Three years on, we turn the spotlight back onto the nascent 6G market to see how things are shaping up.
Starlink, the satellite broadband provider operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is growing its presence in Africa.
As of May 2024, Starlink’s services are live in eight African countries, with more launches planned for the coming months.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, the global mobile subscription total stood at 8.74 billion at the end of 2023, up 2.0% from 8.57 billion a year earlier.
Population penetration rose from 108% to 109% over the same period, boosted by the popularity of multiple SIM ownership in many markets.
Last month saw the conclusion of the long-running mega-merger between Orange España and Grupo MASMOVIL in Spain.
The EUR19 billion ($20.5 billion) tie-up—first agreed back in July 2022—created a new Spanish market leader that presides over a mobile/fixed broadband subscription base of 37 million. Now known as MasOrange, the 50:50 joint venture looks like a force to be reckoned with.
Today, we take a look at the Spanish deals that came into play in the wake of the merger, and see how they could reshape the telecom landscape.
Nigeria is home to Africa’s biggest mobile market by some distance, with 217.5 million subscriptions at the end of 2023, up from 209.5 million a year earlier.
The next largest African markets at end-2023 were South Africa with 118.9 million subscriptions, and Egypt with 111.1 million, according to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database.
With an estimated 750 million active subscriptions at the end of September 2023, China has the world’s largest 5G mobile market by far.
French telco group Iliad has submitted a proposal to UK-based Vodafone Group regarding the potential merger of their respective operations in Italy.
If successful, the merger will have a big impact on the Italian mobile market, reducing it from five players to four, while also combining the fixed broadband operations of the two companies.
The deal is by no means guaranteed to go through, however. Even if Vodafone’s response is positive, regulatory authorities must then study its effects on competition.
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