News

This week saw the second edition of Connected North take place live in Manchester, bringing together the leading voices in local government, enterprise, and telecoms to discuss some of the biggest issues surrounding Northern connectivity.

Over 1,600 people took part in the event over two days, exploring topics big and small, from the ongoing controversy surrounding Equinox 2 to the neverending challenge of collaboration between the public and private sector.

Below you can see some of our highlights from the two days, including the vibrant keynote presentations, packed track rooms, and a bustling exhibition space.

We’re already preparing for Connected North 2024, so please check out the website and get in touch to join us next year in Manchester!

News

The world’s largest mobile network operator is exploring a buyout of Hong Kong’s largest telecoms firms, HKBN, with experts saying the deal could be worth over $1 billion

This week, anonymous sources have told the media that China Mobile has sent a request for proposal to a small group of banks, seeking a partner to help oversee the acquisition of Hong Kong’s HKBN.

According to sources, China Mobile is currently receiving approaches from various investment banks and has yet to decide on a formal offer.

Any deal would likely carry a price tag of over $1 billion, with HKBN having been valued at around $1.7 billion last year.

HKBN, one of the Hong Kong’s largest fixed broadband providers with around 37% broadband market share, has been receiving takeover interest for some time now. Last year, the company received separate offers from a trio of private equity firms – KKR, PAG, and Stonepeak, all of whom have a growing presence in the international telecoms market.

Ultimately, however, no deal was ultimately struck as a result of unresolvable issues surrounding the stock’s valuation and the unstable nature of the global economy.

More recently, in March this year, infrastructure investor I Squared Asia Advisors submitted a non-binding letter of interest to the telco.

Thus, potential interest from China Mobile could spark something of a bidding war for HKBN, particularly if sources suggesting that PAG also remains interested in the operator at to be believed.

However, the veracity of these reports about China Mobile remain to be seen, with some Chinese media sources denying the operator is interested in purchasing HKBN.

In somewhat related news, China Mobile released its latest financial report this month, noting that its mobile subscriptions had now reached 983 million – just a stone’s throw away from making the operator the first in the world to reach the

The operator said its active 5G subscribers has reached 363 million, almost a third of its overall subscriber base.

The company’s first-quarter profit was up 9.5% to CNY 28.1 billion ($4.08 billion).

Keep up with all of the latest international telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

Also in the news:
New study highlights a massive funding gap for a full fibre US
TIM shares slide as company receives new bids for fixed network assets
EE delivers monster upgrades to Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme

News

Ahead of Earth Day this year, Vodafone Business’s “Light as you Need” (LayN) initiative is aiming to make streetlights 30% more energy efficient using the IoT and big data analytics

This week, Vodafone Business has announced a partnership with service integrator Serveo to rollout an innovative urban lighting management project known as LayN.

This urban lighting management project will see IoT sensors added to streetlights, the data from which will then be used to help optimise energy resources and analyse mobility patterns.

Initial analyses will take place on large sets of anonymised customer location data from Vodafone, thereby measuring the real usage needs of each lighting installation.

According to Vodafone, the IoT sensors installed within the streetlamps will use 4G, 5G, and edge computing to control the lighting, while data analytics will be provided by the Vodafone Analytics tool help the sensors to understand where and when lighting is needed.

In this way, LayN will help to enhance existing urban lighting control mechanisms, as well as guide the efficient deployment of future streetlights.

In total, the companies estimate that deploying this intelligent lighting solution will allow for energy savings of roughly 30%.

“LayN represents the best combination of technological excellence applied to the sustainability of intelligent urban management, something that Vodafone has already adapted to areas such as mobility, but which has a long history in other many areas such as water management or lighting, among others,” said Daniel Jiménez, director of Vodafone Business.

LayN has already been tested in one of the cities operated by Serveo in Spain, with further deployments expected to take place in the near future.

Keep up with all of the latest international telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

Also in the news:
New study highlights a massive funding gap for a full fibre US
TIM shares slide as company receives new bids for fixed network assets
EE delivers monster upgrades to Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme

Press Release

stc Group, an engine of digital transformation in the MENA region, announces today that its ICT infrastructure subsidiary, TAWAL, has signed an agreement to acquire United Group’s telecommunications tower assets.

The agreement, valued at EUR 1.220 bn supports stc Group’s ambitious strategy to expand its international footprint in key markets with significant growth potential.

Marking TAWAL’s first step in Europe, this move represents a major milestone in its international expansion journey and stc Group’s growth ambitions which have been active growing in the ICT adjacencies including recent investments in ICT, IoT, Cloud, Cybersecurity, Fintech and digital entertainment through its subsidiaries.

Following completion of the acquisition, TAWAL will own and operate more than 4,800 sites across Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovenia (all European Union member states, two of which are already members of the Eurozone), providing the full range of passive infrastructure services ranging from ground-based towers, rooftops small cells to in-building-solutions. As part of the 20-year master services agreement with United Group, TAWAL will deploy over 2,000 additional sharable sites, while co-location relationships with other mobile network operators will be maintained and expanded, enabling stc Group to drive digital transformation through providing world-class connectivity.

Olayan Alwetaid, Chief Executive Officer, stc Group, said: “Our agreement with United Group represents an exciting new chapter for TAWAL and the wider stc Group. The agreement is a significant milestone in our ambitious growth strategy and the expansion of our international footprint. We are already leading the transformation of Saudi Arabia’s digital capabilities and this transaction reinforces our commitment to investing in best-in-class technology and infrastructure to lead the way in enabling the world to connect.”

Mohammed Alhakbani, Chief Executive Officer, TAWAL, said: “We are delighted to partner with United Group in our first investment in the European market. The partnership supports our goal to continue to provide innovative and efficient ICT infrastructure solutions to our partners and deliver the quality of services we are renowned for.”

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval from the relevant authorities in Bulgaria and Slovenia. Upon completion, TAWAL’s operations in the European market will be rebranded as “TAWAL Europe” and will serve as TAWAL’s platform for any future expansion in Europe.

TAWAL currently owns a portfolio of over 16,000 telecom towers. The company is actively supporting digital transformation plans in Saudi Arabia, expanding its reach across new cities and rural areas in the Kingdom and actively rolling out smart-city-ready technologies such as camouflage telecom towers, smart poles capable of hosting 5G and IoT applications, in-building solutions, and small cells.

Also in the news:
New study highlights a massive funding gap for a full fibre US
TIM shares slide as company receives new bids for fixed network assets
EE delivers monster upgrades to Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme