News 

Verizon has pledged $5 billion over the next five years to support small business suppliers across the US, through the launch of its new Small Business Supplier Accelerator 

The initiative is designed to lower barriers to entry for small enterprises, seeking to engage with large corporate supply chains. 

The accelerator will offer practical support such as tailored onboarding, training and more flexible commercial terms. These include adjusted indemnity requirements, modified insurance terms and faster payment cycles, which are all designed to make it easier for small businesses to work with Verizon and other big buyers. 

“Verizon recognises that small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and a staple in our local communities,” said Hans Vestberg, Verizon’s CEO in a press release.  

“Our long-standing commitment and investment in small businesses aims to empower local businesses and communities with financial, technology and business expertise and resources to advance economic growth and foster job creation,” he continued. 

The programme complements Verizon’s ongoing efforts through its Small Business Digital Ready platform, a free online hub offering on-demand courses, mentoring, and funding opportunities. Since its launch in 2021, the platform has supported nearly 500,000 small businesses to become equipped to “thrive in a digital economy”, with a target of reaching one million by 2030. 

The move comes amid growing pressure for large enterprises to diversify their supply chains, support local economic growth and improve resilience in the face of global disruption. Verizon, in partnership with LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), has also announced a new round of $10,000 grants for eligible Digital Ready users.  

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Georgian mobile operator Cellfie Mobile has expanded its partnership with Finnish BSS provider Qvantel to include managed services for its business support systems (BSS), in a move aimed at accelerating its evolution into a digital services provider.

As part of the agreement, Qvantel has established an operations centre in Georgia and assembled a team of BSS experts to provide daily support to Cellfie.

Giorgi Niniashvili, Chief Information Technology Officer at Cellfie Mobile, said: “As the first mobile operator in Georgia to launch 5G services, we are proud to be leading the country’s digital advancement. Having a dedicated team of Qvantel BSS experts working alongside us strengthens our ability to innovate faster, operate more efficiently, and deliver the best possible experiences to our customers.”

The deal builds on Qvantel’s recent contract wins with Perfectum in Uzbekistan and Veon across multiple markets in its global footprint.

Telefónica has reportedly appointed investment bank Citi to advise on the sale of its Chilean unit, as the group continues to scale back its presence in Latin America.

According to Reuters, citing El Confidencial, the sale of its business in Chile would result in a capital loss for Telefonica. Under the leadership of new Group CEO Marc Murtra, the company has aggressively streamlined its portfolio to focus on its core markets in Brazil, the UK, Spain, and Germany.

So far, Telefonica has exited or reached agreements to divest its operations in Colombia, Peru, and Argentina. It has also reportedly hired JP Morgan to advise on the sale of Movistar Mexico, despite it being the country’s second-largest operator.

Telefonica has operated in Chile for 25 years, following its acquisition of a majority stake in Compania de Telefonos de Chile. Over time, the brand transitioned to Movistar and expanded its portfolio to include fixed-line and internet services.

News

Businesses have earned almost £330,000 from recycling unused devices since the service’s relaunch

This week, Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has shared that its O2 Recycle for Business initiative has helped save 45,000 devices from being sent to landfill since it was relaunched in October 2023.

The initiative invites companies to trade in their unused technology, such as smartphones or routers, which are then data wiped, repaired, refurbished and resold, or recycled. In exchange, the companies receive cashback or credit, or can instead opt to donate that cashback to the Good Things Foundation, a charity focussed on digital inclusion in the UK.

Since the initiative’s relaunch, companies have earned almost £330,000 from trading in unused devices.

“We know businesses want simple solutions to help them become more sustainable. That’s why Virgin Media O2 is leading the way in helping companies to reduce their waste, recycle their unwanted tech, and reuse their unwanted device,” said Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at VMO2. “Businesses can also play a vital role in supporting digital inclusion by accessing tech donation programmes, where their unused devices can be given a second life and used by someone in need, helping them to get online, access essential websites and build digital skills.”

Despite this success, VMO2’s own research suggests that the schemes progress so far is just a drop in the ocean when it comes to the UK’s e-waste problem. The operator estimates that there are around 11.8 million unused business devices in the UK that could be reused or recycled.

Indeed, data from the UN suggests that the UK produces more e-waste per capita than every other country except Norway.

It is worth noting here that VMO2 has operated a similar recycle scheme on a much larger scale for consumer devices since 2009, earning consumers roughly £350 million and saving 4 million devices from going to landfill.

Combining its business and consumer facing recycling efforts, VMO2 says it is aiming for to complete 10 million ‘circular actions’ by the end of the year.

Join the telecoms ecosystem in discussion at Connected Britain 2025, the UK’s leading digital economy event

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News

This quarter, BCE, Rogers, and Telus collectively reported their lowest wireless subscriber growth in four years

Canada’s crackdown on immigration is hamstringing growth for the nation’s telcos, according to a report in The Toronto Star.

The latest financial reports from all three of the country’s national mobile network operators – BCE, Telus, and Rogers – show a significant drop in subscriber growth this quarter, which they attribute to the government’s immigration policies.

Collectively, the three telcos added just 54,000 net mobile subscribers over the past quarter, the lowest amount since the coronavirus pandemic.

For the past four years, these telcos have typically enjoyed six-figure subscriber growth, buoyed by a steady stream of foreign students and temporary workers entering the country.

By last year, however, it was becoming apparent that this level of immigration – around half a million newcomers annually – was putting a major strain on both the country’s healthcare and housing systems.

As a result, the government has introduced a host of new immigration policies, aimed at both slowing the number of permanent residents and foreign students. In 2025, the country aims to welcome 395,000 permanent residents, 305,900 students, and 367,750 temporary workers, down 21%, 10%, and 16%, respectively, compared to 2024.

While this deceleration in growth was to be expected, it will nonetheless come as a painful blow to the operators, particularly BCE and Rogers which are feeling the pressure of mountains of debt and falling revenues.

Both companies stock prices have fallen to levels not seen for over a decade, with BCE even deciding to slash its dividend by 56%, reducing it for the first time since 2009.

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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said on Friday it intends to charge satellite internet players up to 4% of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) over a five-year period to use spectrum allocated to them for satellite broadband services.

According to a statement from TRAI, both geostationary and non-geostationary satellite operators will have to pay a minimum annual fee of INR3,500 (around US$41) per MHz, with a cap of 4% of AGR.

Non-geostationary satellite operators – such as Eutelsat OneWeb and Starlink – will also have to pay an additional INR500 per subscriber per year for urban areas. Rural and remote areas will be exempt from the subscriber fee. TRAI said the government will also consider whether to subsidise satellite terminals in those areas.

TRAI also recommended that the Ku, Ka, Q/V, L, S, and C bands be assigned a period of five years, which the option to extend the assignment by another two years.

The proposal comes after months of consultation and debate that started when TRAI issued a consultation paper on terms and conditions for assigning spectrum for satellite internet services in September 2024.

The proposal still has to be approved by the Department of Telecommunication’s Digital Communications Commission and ratified by the cabinet, but it would officially establish TRAI’s preferred method of assigning satellite spectrum by administrative allocation rather than an auction process.

India’s three main telcos – Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea – had argued that an auction would be more fair, as the administrative allocation process would unfairly enable satellite broadband players to compete with telcos by offering cheaper internet services.

According to a report from ETTelecom on Friday, TRAI chairman AK Lahoti reiterated that the regulator considers satellite broadband to be a complementary service for terrestrial broadband, not a competitive one.

“It’s not factually correct that satcom services are competing with terrestrial services because there is a huge difference between the capacity of the terrestrial network and the satellite network,” Lahoti was quoted as saying.

Ironically, Airtel and Jio signed separate partnership deals with Starlink in March. Jio is also working with LEO satellite operator Eutelsat OneWeb via Orbit Connect India, the JV it established with SES in 2022.

The TRAI recommendations arrived a day after Starlink received a Letter of Intent from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for a satcom licence. The LEO satellite operator still needs clearance from Indian space regulator IN–SPACe before it can officially launch services.

Like Eutelsat OneWeb and Orbit Connect (which have all the necessary licences and regulatory clearances), Starlink is also waiting for the DoT to officially allocate spectrum with which to offer services, although the DoT provisionally allocated satellite spectrum to OneWeb and Orbit Connect in October 2024 for testing their respective satellite broadband services.

All licencees will also be required to comply with long list of security requirements, which the DoT revised last week.

Press Release

BT has appointed Peter Leukert to the role of Chief Digital Officer, in which he will have responsibility for leading BT’s Digital unit and driving the company’s digital transformation.

Peter is currently Group Chief Information Officer at Deutsche Telekom and will join BT on 1 September this year and be a member of the Executive Committee, reporting to Allison Kirkby, Chief Executive.

BT’s Digital unit is at the heart of the company’s modernisation and transformation. It plays a critical role in the bold customer experience-led transformation underway, as we radically digitalise and simplify our internal and customer-facing systems and processes to be better for all our stakeholders. Our Digital unit is also a catalyst for digital thinking, and in how we embed data and AI in everything we do, in order for us to become the most trusted connector of people, business and society.

Peter has been Group Chief Information Officer at Deutsche Telecom (DT) since 2017 where he has led a significant and successful transformation of their IT and Digital platforms, products and services, and been a key contributor to the customer experience led transformation that has fuelled DT’s recent growth. He has held previous roles at McKinsey & Co, Commerzbank and the New York Stock Exchange in Germany and the US.

Allison Kirkby, Chief Executive, BT, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Peter to BT. He joins the business at an exciting time as we focus on simultaneously investing in the UK’s leading fixed and mobile networks while transforming our operations to radically improve how we serve our customers.

Peter Leukert said: “I’m thrilled to be joining BT. The opportunity to transform and simplify BT’s operations will improve customer outcomes and drive sustainable business growth, and I am really excited to get started.”

Until Peter joins BT in September, Howard Watson will continue to lead the Digital Unit alongside his responsibilities as Chief Networks and Security Officer.

Join the telecoms ecosystem in discussion at Connected Britain 2025, the UK’s leading digital economy event

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News

The three-year plan will see new telecoms equipment deployed at over 4,600 locations

This week, the US Department of Transport (DOT) has announced a new plan to upgrade the nation’s ‘antiquated’ air traffic control infrastructure.

The three-year ‘Brand New Air Traffic Control System Plan’ will includes upgrades throughout the system, from new hardware and software to the construction of six new air traffic control centres.

“Decades of neglect have left us with an outdated system that is showing its age. Building this new system is an economic and national security necessity, and the time to fix it is now,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a statement.

The update will also include a major revamp of the system’s telecoms infrastructure, including “new fiber, wireless and satellite technologies at over 4,600 sites, 25,000 new radios and 475 new voice switches”.

The financial requirements for such an upgrade were not formally announced, but Duffy said that “billions” would be required from Congress to complete the project.

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news with the Total Telecom newsletter

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The Indian government has reportedly granted conditional approval for SpaceX’s Starlink to begin offering satellite internet services in the country, according to a report by CNBC-TV18.

The broadcaster said a Letter of Intent was issued to the Elon Musk-owned company on May 7, signalling that a commercial launch is likely imminent. Similar letters were previously issued to Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications ahead of their full licence approvals, CNBC-TV18 noted.

Starlink has faced several regulatory and political hurdles in its bid to enter the Indian market, which is among the largest in the world for internet connectivity due to its massive population. Its planned rollout encountered opposition from local mobile network operators, as well as national security concerns related to its low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation.

Ahead of receiving the government’s Letter of Intent, SpaceX had signed agreements with major Indian telecom players Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel to support the launch of its Starlink services.

News

The proposed changes aim at promoting European innovation and competitiveness on the global stage

This week, the European Commission has launched a public consultation on the bloc’s longstanding merger rules, which it is hoped will encourage investment and innovation.

The review relates to the horizontal merger guidelines (HMG), which governs mergers between actual or potential competitors in the same market, as well as those that operate at different levels of the supply chain.

Seven key topics were listed as a focus of the review: competitiveness and resilience, market power, innovation, decarbonisation, digitalisation, efficiencies, defence and labour considerations.

“This is a pivotal moment for Europe, and it is only by evolving that we can ensure that our merger control policy continues to serve people, drive innovation, and strengthen Europe’s resilience and leadership,” said Teresa Ribera, executive vice president for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition. “We count on your help. We stand ready to hear the views of consumers and businesses all across Europe on how our merger review framework can be made fit for the future.”

The EU’s existing merger rules were drafted in 2004 and have received numerous updates since that time. From a telecoms perspective, these rules have long been viewed as overly restrictive, blocking consolidation in highly competitive markets. This, the operators argue, has limited their ability to invest at scale and is hindering their international competitiveness.

The national antitrust regulators, however, argue that shrinking the number of players in individual markets risks reducing competition, driving up prices for consumers, and decreasing incentive to invest in infrastructure. Regulators from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Portugal notably issued a joint statement to this effect last month.

“The narrative that fragmentation in the electronic communications sector, hindering investment and innovation, allegedly results from unduly strict competition rules is misplaced,” read the statement.

This long-running debate has been thrown into sharp relief in recent years due to global economic instability, particularly the geopolitical clash between the USA and China which has left Europe scrambling to attain technological growth and self-sufficiency.

Following her re-election in July last year, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote a letter to Ribera, outlining the need for “new approach to competition policy” to boost innovation.

The letter asked Ribera to “modernize the EU’s competition policy to ensure it supports European companies to innovate, compete and lead world-wide and contributes to our wider objectives on competitiveness and sustainability, social fairness and security.”

More specifically, it said that revisions to the HMG should “give adequate weight to the European economy’s more acute needs in respect of resilience, efficiency and innovation, the time horizons and investment intensity of competition in certain strategic sectors and the changed defense and security environment.”

These same factors were again highlighted in the newly announced review.

“This comprehensive and ambitious review of the EU merger guidelines is a unique opportunity to modernise the Commission’s framework for assessing the impact of mergers on competition. It will allow us to account for disruptive changes in our societies and our economies over the past 20 years, such as digitalisation, and enable us to ensure that innovation, resilience, and the investment intensity of competition are given adequate weight in light of the European economy’s acute needs,” said Ribera in a statement.

Interested parties have until 3 September to submit their response to the consultation.

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news:
Germany appoints first ever digital minister
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BT opens new flagship Manchester office