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Mar 24, 2021

Deal-Making Down Under: Oceania's Wave of Telecom M&A

Earlier this month, Australian telecom group Vocus accepted a $2.7 billion (AUD3.5 billion) takeover offer from a consortium comprising Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets and the pension fund Aware Super. 

The deal is the latest in a series of Oceania-focused telecom takeovers.

Mar 12, 2021

Eight Billion and Rising: Wireless Market Grows Again in 2020

Figures from TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database show that the global wireless subscriber total has passed 8 billion. User numbers were up 1% in 2020, ending the year at 8.05 billion.

The cellular market showed year-on-year growth despite the negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which contributed to downturns in user take-up in a number of countries.

Feb 10, 2021

Debt, Distrust, and Dealmaking: the Battle for Digicel Pacific

As GlobalComms Database users know, TeleGeography recently reclassified its regions. 

This basically means we kicked off 2021 with some Marie Kondo-level tidying by aligning our country-to-region mapping across all of our research. For the GlobalComms team, this included spinning out Oceania from Asia. 

Indeed, the exercise gave me the opportunity to check in on happenings in Oceania. And this is why I thought it was the perfect time to take a closer look at one of the region’s major developments: the likely sale of Digicel Pacific.

Feb 5, 2021

Over 100 5G Network Launches in 2020

More than 100 5G mobile networks went live around the world during 2020.

This included launches in Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Poland, Hong Kong, and Sweden.

Jan 29, 2021

2021 Cable Progress, Internet Shutdowns, and Bandwidth Trends

January was a mixed bag of telecom stories.

There were a handful of cable updates to watch. (Tis the season for experts and insiders to assess big projects with 2021 ready-for-service dates.)

Then there were all the policy pieces to read up on as a new administration took over in Washington, DC.

And we still had plenty of posts to take in about the pandemic's ongoing impact on all things telecom.  

Jan 26, 2021

Tower Talk: Meet the Companies Buying Latin America’s Cell Towers

Latin America has been a hotbed of M&A activity in recent years.

And it isn’t just telecom operators that are changing hands—the tower sector has also accounted for a number of eye-catching deals across the region.

Dec 15, 2020

2020: The Essential CommsUpdate Selection

TeleGeography’s daily CommsUpdate newsletter has featured a staggering 76,000 telecom stories since making its debut back in December 2002! 

As a tumultuous year draws to a close, we’re looking back at the telecom stories that captured our readers’ attention during 2020. From shareholder shenanigans to mega-mergers, from tax disputes to 5G launches, the CommsUpdate team left no stone unturned in their quest to bring you the biggest daily news stories.

Dec 9, 2020

Monaco Telecom: The Small Telco Making its Mark

Earlier this year, Monaco Telecom (MT) entered Malta’s communications sector when it acquired Vodafone Malta. While its domestic operations are fairly small, the company now has three sizeable overseas businesses as subsidiaries.

Nov 25, 2020

The Brazilian Broadband Bonanza: Meet Regional Players with Big Plans

The Brazilian telecom sector is a hotbed of deal-making activity in 2020. And regional consolidation is a theme.

While industry observers are focused on the high-profile auction of Oi’s mobile assets—which is scheduled to take place on December 14—a series of broadband-centric deals have taken place under the radar.

Today, we explore the companies who are pulling the strings.

Nov 5, 2020

2G Bows Out, 5G Grows in South Korea

South Korea’s cellular sector is the scene of intense, cutthroat competition between its three mobile network operators (MNOs): SK Telecom (SKT), KT Corp, and LG Uplus. Advanced technology rollouts have been a key battleground for the trio.