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☆ EU clears up to 1.2 bln euros of aid for cloud computing
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The European Commission approved on Tuesday up to 1.2 billion euros ($1.30 billion) of state aid for a European cloud computing project to try to boost the involvement of EU business in a field dominated by U.S. companies. Those countries will provide up to 1.2 billion euros in public funding, which in turn is expected to unlock 1.4 billion euros in private investments, the European Commission said. The European cloud technology project features 19 companies, including French companies Atos (ATOS.PA) and Orange (ORAN.PA), Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) and Germany's SAP (SAPG.DE), Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) and Telefonica Espana (TEF.MC). The three biggest players in cloud computing are Amazon (AMZN.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Google (GOOGL.O).

Persons: Yves Herman, Didier Reynders, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Piotr Lipinski, Philip Blenkinsop, Barbara Lewis Organizations: European Commission, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Infrastructure, Services, IPCEI CIS, Union, Deutsche Telekom, SAP, Telecom Italia, Telefonica Espana, Microsoft, Google, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain

☆ Four bidders approved for Colombia 5G auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Flags flutter on the facade of the Colombian Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies building in Bogota, Colombia, November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Luis Jaime Acosta/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Four operators have been approved to participate in Colombia's auction to offer fifth-generation (5G) cellular data services, the communications ministry said. Telecall Colombia S.A.S., the fourth approved bidder, is a Brazilian telecoms coming looking to enter the Colombian market. The government expects to raise about $500 million via the Dec. 20 auction and join regional neighbors like Argentina and Mexico, where 5G is already available. Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luis Jaime Acosta, Julia Symmes Cobb, Mark Porter Organizations: Colombian Ministry of Information, Communications Technologies, REUTERS, Rights, Telefonica, Telecall, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA, Claro, Telecall Colombia, Brazilian, Colombian, Argentina, Mexico

New networks by Dish (DISH.O) and Japan's Rakuten (4755.T) use Open RAN. "All of the new equipment that we are going to be putting out will be Open RAN capable," Chris Sambar, president of AT&T Network, told Reuters. Winning the Open RAN deal will make Ericsson the largest supplier to AT&T as it slowly takes over Nokia's share, the company said. AT&T will still have contracts which other Open RAN vendors outside this deal. AT&T expects fully integrated Open RAN sites operating in coordination with Ericsson and Fujitsu (6702.T), starting in 2024.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Japan's Rakuten, Chris Sambar, Sambar, You've, Supantha Mukherjee, Matthew Lewis Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Rights, Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, Telefonica, Vodafone, RAN, AT, T Network, Reuters, Samsung, Verizon, U.S ., Fujitsu, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, ORAN, United States, Stockholm

☆ European mobile data traffic to triple by 2028 -GSMA
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The GSMA, which brings together more than 1,000 mobile phone operators and businesses, said 5G subscribers were interested in adding high-bandwidth services and content to their mobile contracts, as demand for high-quality gaming, extended reality, and video content grows. Mobile data traffic per smartphone will increase in Western Europe to 56 gigabytes (GB) per month in 2028, compared with 20 GB last year. In Central and Eastern Europe, it will rise to 37 GB per month from 14 GB in 2022, the lobby group said in its annual mobile economy report. More than 460 million Europeans, or 85% of the population, were connected to mobile internet in 2022, according to the GSMA. ($1 = 0.9168 euros)Reporting Diana Mandiá, editing by Milla Nissi and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, GSMA, We're, Daniel Pataki, Diana Mandiá, Milla Nissi, Emelia Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Qatar, REUTERS, Telecom Italia, Big Tech, Netflix, Microsoft, European Commission, Reuters, Thomson Locations: France, Argentina, Paris, Mobile, Western Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Orange, Europe

☆ Spain's state fund considers taking Telefonica stake after STC move
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Spanish Telecom company is displayed atop the company's building in Madrid, Spain, September 6, 2023. Acting Economy Minister Nadia Calvino has said Madrid will carry out a thorough evaluation before approving STC's stake, while acting labour minister Yolanda Diaz has called for the transaction to be blocked. Spain's SEPI said in a stock market filing on Tuesday that it was carrying out an "exploratory internal analysis over a potential acquisition" of a stake in Telefonica. STC declined to comment on any potential plans by SEPI. Caixabank, which owns 3.5% stake of Telefonica, said last week it would not raise its stake in response to STC's move, and would analyse with Telefonica any potential cooperation with the Saudi Arabian telecoms company.

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, Spanish telco Caixabank, SEPI, Nadia Calvino, Yolanda Diaz, Spain's SEPI, Belen Gualda Gonzalez, Onur Genc, It's, Genc, Inti Landauro, Pietro Lombardi, Louise Heavens, Alexander Smith Organizations: Spanish Telecom, REUTERS, BBVA, Telefonica Bank, Telefonica MADRID, Telefonica, Saudi, STC, Saudi Arabia's, SEPI, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Spanish, Saudi Arabian

☆ STC reportedly drops plan to up stake in Spain's Telefonica to 9.9%
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Spanish Telecom company is displayed atop the company's building in Madrid, Spain, September 6, 2023. Telefonica and STC declined to comment on the report. In September, Saudi Arabia's largest telecoms operator amassed a 9.9% stake worth 2.1 billion euros ($2.23 billion) in a move to become Telefonica's top shareholder, though it added it did not intend to acquire control or a majority stake. STC's holding consists of 4.9% of Telefonica's shares and financial instruments that give it another 5% in so-called economic exposure to the company. As Telefonica is considered a defence service provider, the Spanish defence ministry has a say in acquisitions and holdings between 5% and 10% unless the buyer commits not to request a seat on the board.

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, David Latona, Belen Carreno, Jesus Aguado, Hadeel Al, Andrei Khalip Organizations: Spanish Telecom, REUTERS, Rights, STC, Telefonica, El Economista, Saudi, Inti Landauro, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Rights MADRID, Saudi, Spanish, Hadeel Al Sayegh, Riyadh

☆ Vodafone will struggle to get clean exit in Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Toby Melville Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Vodafone’s (VOD.L) boss Margherita Della Valle is cleaning up the sprawling 21 billion pound telecom group, but it’s a tough job. A potentially messy exit in Spain illustrates the point. Della Valle lacks an obvious partner in the country: local giant Telefónica (TEF.MC) is too big, while rivals Orange (ORAN.PA) and MásMóvil are merging with one another. As a result, Vodafone may have found itself a potentially problematic counterparty for the Spanish business, which Della Valle has put under strategic review. Investors might be reassured that Della Valle is making things happen, but a clean break in Spain looks increasingly unlikely.

Persons: Toby Melville, Margherita Della Valle, Della Valle, Eamonn O’Hare, Expansión, Zegona, Pamela Barbaglia, Liam Proud, Streisand Neto Organizations: Vodafone, REUTERS, Reuters, Orange, Zegona Communications, Virgin Media, Bloomberg, Deutsche Bank, ING, Reuters Graphics Reuters, X, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Spain

Telefonica and Liberty Global have been working with advisers on the sale of up to half of their combined 50% stake in Cornerstone. Vodafone (VOD.L) owns the rest of the business through its Frankfurt-based subsidiary Vantage Towers (VTWRn.H). Spokespeople for Telefonica, Liberty Global, Virgin Media O2 and GLIL declined to comment. Cornerstone, established in 2012, is Britain's largest tower company, managing more than 20,000 sites, according to the company's website. In recent years infrastructure and private equity investors have competed for slices in some of the largest tower deals, including Deutsche Telekom's sale of a majority stake in GD Towers, because of their stable cash yield and long-term contracts.

Persons: Phil Noble, Amy, Jo Crowley, Andres Gonzalez, Paul Sandle, Helen Popper Our Organizations: REUTERS, Virgin Media O2, Liberty Global, Telefonica, Cornerstone, Vodafone, Deutsche, GD, Thomson Locations: Blackpool, Britain, Frankfurt

☆ Caixabank to look at how Telefonica and STC can cooperate
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Spain's Caixabank (CABK.MC), a major shareholder in Telefonica (TEF.MC), will analyse with the telecoms group any potential cooperation with STC after the Saudi telecoms firm's recent investment in Telefonica, the bank's CEO said on Friday. Caixabank has a 3.5% stake in Telefonica and a seat on its board. "Very particularly, we have to see what possibilities (Telefonica) has to cooperate with this great company, due to its size and relevance, which is STC," Gortazar said, adding Caixabank would seek to express its views on the matter at board-level discussions. As Telefonica is considered a defence service provider, Spain's Defence Ministry has a say in acquisitions and holdings between 5% and 10%, unless the buyer commits not to request a seat on the board. STC, which has yet to request authorisation from the Spanish government to exercise voting rights corresponding to the financial instruments, has said it does not intend to acquire control or a majority stake in Telefonica.

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, Gonzalo Gortazar, Caixabank, Gortazar, Jesús, Andrei Khalip, Mark Potter Organizations: Spanish Telecom, REUTERS, Rights, Telefonica, Saudi, STC Group, Spain's Defence Ministry, STC, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Rights MADRID, Saudi

A Saudi man's reflection is seen in mirror glass at the Future Investment Initiative conference, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 25, 2022. Geopolitical tensions heightened by the Middle East conflict pose the biggest threat to the world economy, World Bank President Ajay Banga said. The conflict could upset the stability of the Middle East just as regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia pours hundreds of billions of dollars into a vast economic transformation plan. Saudi Arabia is putting U.S.-backed plans to normalise ties with Israel on ice, two sources familiar with Riyadh's thinking said, signalling a rapid rethinking of its foreign policy priorities as war rages between Israel and Hamas. The last year has seen Saudi Arabia spend billions on companies, from sports to gaming to aviation.

Persons: Ahmed Yosri, Ajay Banga, Banga, Laurence Fink, Fink, Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, JPMorgan's, Jamie Dimon, Jane Fraser, Ray Dalio, Dalio, Noel Quinn, Bill Winters, Barack Obama, Yasser al, Salomon, Hess, Stephen Schwarzman, Schwarzman, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Joe Biden's, Richard Attias, Rosario, Amanda Cooper, Alun John, Michael Georgy, Anousha, John O'Donnell, Susan Fenton Organizations: Future Investment Initiative, REUTERS, Rights, Saudi Arabia's, Hamas, BlackRock, Bridgewater Associates, HSBC, Former U.S, U.S, Saudi Telecom Corp, Telefonica, Investment Fund, Chevron, Blackstone Group, Investment Initiative, Saudi, FII, Reuters, Jorgelina, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Rights RIYADH, Israel, Davos, Swiss, Gaza, Europe, Asia, London

[1/3] The logo of French telecom operator Orange is pictured in Brussels, Belgium May 22, 2023. Orange and MasMovil plan to divest spectrum, a customers unit and a brand as well as offer Digi access to infrastructure, the people said. Digi has expanded rapidly in the Spanish market since it launched operations there in 2008. It had more than 5.7 million customers at the end of the first half of 2023. ($1 = 0.9440 euros)Reporting by Foo Yun Chee Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yves Herman, MasMovil, Orange, Foo Yun, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Orange, Regulators, European Commission, EU, Telefonica, Vodafone, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Rights BRUSSELS, Spain, Spanish

☆ Italy backs calls for tech firms to help fund EU telecoms networks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Italy broadly supports proposals at European Union level to ensure that Big Tech firms partly finance telecoms infrastructure in the bloc, Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said in a statement on Tuesday. "All market players benefiting from the digital transformation must contribute fairly and proportionately to infrastructure costs," Urso said, intervening at an EU telecoms minister meeting in Leon, Spain. However, before introducing any legislation, the EU must carefully assess whether and to what extent network infrastructure is effectively overloaded by content and services generated by Big Tech firms, Urso added. Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE), Orange (ORAN.PA), Telefonica (TEF.MC) and Telecom Italia (TIM) (TLIT.MI) term it fair-share funding, while Big Tech says it amounts to an internet tax. "Italy believes the EU Commission should carry out further assessment and more time is needed to evaluate the extent of the impact of traffic generated on the network infrastructure" Urso said.

Persons: Adolfo Urso, Urso, Thierry Breton, Giuseppe Fonte, Elvira Pollina, Keith Weir Organizations: European Union, Big Tech, Industry, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, Telecom Italia, France Telecom, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Italy, Leon, Spain, Orange

☆ Saudi is wild card in Middle East’s new turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( George Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the 18th consultative meeting of the leaders of the GCC & the Gulf summit with the central Asian countries C5, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 19, 2023. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Mohammed bin Salman is the wild card in the Middle East’s new conflict. Saudi Arabia also needs prices above $85 a barrel in order to balance its budget. Saudi Arabia also needs to consider the views of international investors, though. For now, Saudi Arabia can count on the support of global bankers and fund managers.

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Mohammed bin Salman, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s, Biden, Netanyahu, International Energy Agency reckons, Jamal Khashoggi, nix, Larry Fink, JPMorgan’s, Jamie Dimon, Israel, Antony Blinken, Jordan, ” Blinken, ”, “, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Al Jazeera, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: GCC, Saudi Press Agency, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Hamas, Israel . U.S, MbS, United, Gaza, International Energy Agency, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Saudi, kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, U.S, PGA, Foreign Investment, Telefonica, STC, BlackRock’s, Future Investment, United States, Diplomats, don’t, Palestinian, Israeli, United Arab, Iran’s, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran, Palestinian, Israel ., United States, Gaza, OPEC, Russia, Saudi Aramco, Riyadh, Palestine, United, Amman, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Lebanon, America

☆ Vodafone, Three execs tell lawmakers their UK merger will benefit 5G, jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Branding is displayed for Vodafone at one of its stores in London, Britain, June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Executives from Vodafone (VOD.L) and CK Hutchison's (0001.HK) Three UK unit said their 15 billion pound ($18 billion) merger would benefit Britain's consumers, infrastructure and jobs, as lawmakers scrutinise the planned tie-up. Vodafone and Three UK have pledged to invest 11 billion pounds to build a 5G network for Britain as part of their bid to secure backing from politicians, unions and competition authorities for the merger announced in June. They warned that without the deal, Britain's 5G network would continue to lag that of other European nations. "Neither us nor Vodafone can invest sufficiently to build the type of 5G network that's needed," Three's Chief Technical Officer David Hennessy said.

Persons: Toby Melville, CK Hutchison's, Nicki Lyons, David Hennessy, Stephen Lerner, Sarah Young, Mark Potter Organizations: Vodafone, REUTERS, HK, Trade, VM O2, Telefonica, Liberty Global, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

Europe's telecoms operators say Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O), Meta's (META.O) Facebook, Netflix (NFLX.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Amazon (AMZN.O) should bear some of the costs because they make up a huge part of internet traffic. Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE), Orange (ORAN.PA), Telefonica (TEF.MC) and Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) call it fair-share funding while Big Tech says it amounts to an internet tax. The French commissioner, a former chief executive at France Telecom and supporter of the operators' push, faced blowback from some of his fellow commissioners and some EU countries. Breton will likely voice concerns about the recent acquisitions of telecoms stakes by sovereign investment funds and private equity firms to EU telecoms ministers at an Oct. 23-24 meeting in Leon, Spain, another person said. ($1 = 0.9418 euros)Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Thierry Breton, Breton, Foo Yun Chee, Tomasz Janowski, Mark Porter Organizations: Big Tech, European Commission, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, Telecom Italia, France Telecom, EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Europe, Orange, Leon, Spain

☆ Apollo, JB Capital preparing bid for Vodafone's Spanish unit, Expansion says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Oct 9 (Reuters) - U.S.-based buyout fund Apollo Global Management is readying a bid with local fund JB Capital for the Spanish unit of telecom giant Vodafone (VOD.L), the Expansion newspaper reported on Monday citing unidentified sources with knowledge of the matter. The news about a potential bid comes three weeks after British telecom investment company Zegona (ZEG.L) said it was in talks with Vodafone to buy the Spanish unit. Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle launched a strategic review of the Spanish unit earlier this year. Vodafone is one of the three largest telecom operators in Spain together with Telefonica (TEF.MC) and the local unit of France's Orange (ORAN.PA). Apollo and JB Capital did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Nacho, Margherita Della Valle, Inti Landauro, Jason Neely Organizations: Vodafone, Congress, REUTERS, Rights, Apollo Global Management, JB Capital, Spanish, Telefonica, Thomson Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Rights MADRID

LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Barely a day goes by without an eye-catching story involving Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. A third of the fund consists of significant stakes in domestic companies like the $51 billion Saudi Telecom Company (7010.SE) and $53 billion Saudi National Bank (1180.SE). Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsThe PIF’s investment strategy is also racier than its more conservative peers. But the episode reinforces the impression that the PIF is a mix of venture capital, hedge fund and startup money. The most spectacular was probably handing $45 billion to SoftBank Group (9984.T) boss Masayoshi Son for his $100 billion first Vision Fund.

Persons: Kylian Mbappé, It’s, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Yasir Al, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala, Rumayyan, Salman bin Abdulaziz, Masayoshi Son, SWFs, Taiwan’s Foxconn, Peter Thal Larsen, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Standard Chartered, Spanish telco Telefonica, Fund, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Global, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Saudi, Saudi Telecom Company, Saudi National Bank, Saudi Aramco, giga, Qatar Investment Authority, Singapore’s Temasek, Al, MbS, SoftBank Group, Vision, Credit Suisse, UBS, Saudi giga, Aramco, Investment, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Saudi

☆ Tupac, Cocaine, Murder: Henchmen Brothers, Hip-Hop's Forgotten Moguls
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +39 min

Mario called Tupac. All he could do was listen to her cry as he explained that he didn't know when he'd be back. He didn't speak Spanish, didn't know a soul in Mexico, and had no clue where he would be sent. Mario didn't ask why, and the guy didn't inquire about Mario's predicament. "It's all good, man," Mario told Jimmy.

Persons: Mario Rosemond, Rosemond, Jimmy, Mario, Akon, Sean Kingston, Gucci Mane, Jimmy Rosemond —, Lowell, Lodi Mack, Fletcher, Tupac Shakur, Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Jimmy Rosemond, Saul Goodman, Tommy Davis, Mario stammered, It's, Jimmy Jr, Andrea, Constantin, Johnny Nunez, Rikers, —, Slick, Russell Simmons, Benny Medina, Lyor Cohen, Chris Lighty, Mona Scott, Mark Sparks, Shoop, Paul Bergen, Bryce Wilson, Wilson, Mohammed, Tef, Stewart, Little Shawn, Puff Daddy, Pac, Freddie Moore, Moore, Al Pereira, would've, Jimmy wasn't, They'd, didn't, Jimmy didn't, —, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Wyclef Jean, Garland, Cyrus, THONY BELIZAIRE, Mariah Carey, LL, Missy Elliott, Cent, Tef Stewart, Jimmy Rosemond Jr, Jimmy Sr, Khalil Abdullah, Jimmy Iovine, determinedly, DJ Skee, Mario couldn't, Mario chuckles, he'd, GummyBone, Mario didn't, I'm, freckling, he's, isn't, I've, Jim Brown, Michael K, Williams, Donald Trump, Arturo Holmes, Scott Olson, Trump, Brown, James Rosemond Jr, David Kushner Organizations: FBI, Entertainment, Justice Department, Bronx ., Quad Studios, AP, grandad, Wall, Black Panthers, Junior Mafia, Hollywood, Haiti, Management, Apollo, Lowell, Racing, Interscope Records, Interscope, Feds, Department of Motor Vehicles, DMV, Colombian, York Post, Drug, Administration, NFL, Trump, Stone, Atari Locations: Mexico, Haiti, Brooklyn, Bronx, Cuernavaca, Spanish, Rahway , New Jersey, Port, New York City, Vanderveer Estates, East Flatbush, Rikers, Islam, Miami Beach, New York, New Jersey, East Coast, West Coast, Plainfield , New Jersey, Brandy, Los Angeles, Czar's, Harlem, LA, California, Beverly Hills, San, Tijuana, Mexico City, Colombian, San Diego, Manhattan

☆ European stocks extend losses as economic slowdown jitters weigh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, September 4, 2023. REUTERS/Staff/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - European stocks extended losses for a sixth consecutive session on Wednesday as worries about global economic slowdown and higher crude prices spurring inflationary pressures weighed on risk sentiment. The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) slipped 0.5% by 0713 GMT, hovering near a one-week low. While oil prices pulled back slightly, government bond yields continued to rise, with the German 10-year yield jumping to two-week highs. Further denting the mood, German industrial orders fell more than expected in July, the federal statistics office said.

Persons: Sruthi Shankar, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, Telefonica, Saudi Arabia's STC, Spanish, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Bengaluru

☆ Saudi Arabia's STC Group acquires 9.9% stake in Telefonica
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Spanish Telecom company Telefonica is seen next to a traffic ligth at its headquarters in Madrid, Spain, May 12, 2021. REUTERS/Sergio Perez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's STC Group has amassed a 9.9% stake in Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica (TEF.MC) for 2.1 billion euros ($2.25 billion) in shares and financial instruments, STC said on Tuesday. STC does not intend to acquire majority control of Telefonica, it added in a statement. STC is Saudi Arabia's largest telecoms operator and also owns subsidies and has stakes in companies operating in Kuwait and Bahrain. It is 64% owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the main engine of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 to wean the economy off its dependence on oil.

Persons: Sergio Perez, Prince Mohammed bin Salman's, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Jonathan Oatis, Richard Chang Organizations: Spanish Telecom, Telefonica, REUTERS, Saudi Arabia's, Saudi, Public Investment Fund, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi, Europe

☆ Vodafone boosted by 1&1 5G network deal in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The headquarters of Vodafone Germany are pictured in Duesseldorf September 12, 2013. Shares in British company Vodafone rose 3% in London and 1&1 (1U1.DE) soared 15%, set for its biggest one-day gain since 2008. 1&1, the mobile phone operation of German internet provider United Internet (UTDI.DE), is building a fourth mobile network. The deal knocked shares in Telefonica Deutschland (O2Dn.DE), as 1&1 teamed up with its competitor Vodafone. Vodafone said in its statement on Wednesday that the commercial agreement with 1&1 was for 18 years, and would start to deliver the 5G coverage to 1&1 customers from the second half of 2024.

Persons: Ina Fassbender, Margherita Della Valle, Sarah Young, Danilo Masoni, Hakan Ersen Organizations: Vodafone, REUTERS, United, Telefonica Deutschland, Telefonica, Thomson Locations: Vodafone Germany, Germany, London, Telefonica Deutschland's, Madrid

☆ UK's Virgin Media O2 to lay off up to 2,000 employees by year end
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 24 (Reuters) - British mobile operator Virgin Media O2 said on Monday it was planning to lay off up to 2,000 employees by the end of this year. The company is a joint venture between the US-listed Liberty Global (LBTYA.O) and Spain's Telefonica (TEF.MC). Its rival BT Group (BT.L), Britain's biggest broadband and mobile provider, had cut 55,000 roles or more than 40% of its workforce in May. Earlier this month, the country's communications regulator Ofcom opened a probe, following complaints from users that the mobile operator was making it tough to cancel services. ($1 = 0.9041 euros)Reporting by Urvi Dugar and Mrinmay Dey in BengaluruOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Urvi Dugar, Mrinmay Dey Organizations: Virgin Media O2, Telegraph, Liberty Global, Spain's Telefonica, BT Group, Britain's, . Liberty Global, Vodafone, Ofcom, Thomson Locations: British, Bengaluru

Data centres are facilities that host IT systems and applications. In April, Brookfield Infrastructure acquired French data centre group Data4 in a deal said to have valued the company at close to 3.5 billion euros, including debt. Asterion formed Nabiax in 2019 through the acquisition of 11 data centres from Telefonica across Spain and Latin America. In March, the group sold its Latin American operations to British infrastructure fund Actis, with a view to focusing on its home market. A sale of Nabiax could help Telefonica pay down debt, a focus for the Spanish telecoms giant.

Persons: Nabiax, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Amy, Jo Crowley, Andres Gonzalez, Jesus Aguado, John O'Donnell, Louise Heavens Organizations: Reuters, Infrastructure, Asterion Industrial Partners, BBVA, Citigroup, Telefonica, Brookfield Infrastructure, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Telefonica, Spain, Latin America, British, London

☆ Telefonica sells controlling stake in Peruvian fibre optic network to KKR
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, July 7 (Reuters) - Telefonica (TEF.MC) has sold a 54% stake in its fibre optic network in Peru to U.S. private equity fund KKR (KKR.N) and 10% to Entel's (ENTEL.SN) local business, the Spanish telecoms group said on Friday, adding that it will retain the remaining 36%. In many markets, the company has separated the infrastructure into different units to maximise the value of its disposed assets. The Spanish company did not disclose the value of the transaction but said the deal would cut its debt by 200 million euros ($217.8 million). The transaction valued 100% of the unit at about 550 million euros, including debt, according to a banking source close to the deal. The new company, Pangeaco, will combine the existing fibre optic network in Peru from Telefonica and Entel, KKR firm said in a separate statement.

Persons: Inti Landauro, Jacqueline Wong, David Goodman Organizations: Telefonica, KKR, Entel, Santander, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Peru, U.S, Spanish

☆ Telecom Italia grid talks leave Vivendi in a bind
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) is moving ahead with the long-awaited sale of its grid. The 5.5 billion euro Italian group has entered exclusive talks with private equity powerhouse KKR (KKR.N), and wants a binding offer by Sept. 30. Vivendi however is valuing the NetCo at 31 billion euros. A 26 billion euro price tag would imply an EV/EBITDA multiple of 14 times. That’s almost three times that of Vodafone (VOD.L) or Telefonica (TEF.MC), assuming the grid’s EBITDA at 1.8 billion euros, according to Barclays estimates.

Persons: Pietro Labriola, Il Messaggero, That’s, – Labriola, Pamela Barbaglia, Pierre Briancon, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Telecom, KKR, Vivendi, hardball, Telecom Italia’s, Vodafone, Telefonica, Barclays, Twitter, Intel, Thomson Locations: Rome, York, French

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