News

The court of appeal ruled on Thursday that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does not have the legal authority to reinstate the rules

This week has seen a US appeals court strike a major blow to the Biden administration’s aspirations of restoring net neutrality, ruling that the FCC does not have the power to enforce such regulations.

Net neutrality is the concept that all internet users and internet traffic should be treated equally by service providers. This paradigm means that providers may not block, slow down, or charge different rates for specific online content. Championed by the Democrats for over a decade and formally introduced as a ruleset by the Obama administration, net neutrality was then rescinded in 2018 during the Trump presidency.

As a paradigm, net neutrality has been highly political since its inception, with left-leaning Democrats arguing that net neutrality principles are necessary for a fair and open internet, while right-leaning Republicans see it as heavy-handed and unnecessary regulation of the free market.

Joe Biden made the reinstatement of net neutrality a focal point of his election campaign, issuing an executive order encouraging the FCC to reinstate the rules in 2021.

Now, following this new ruling from a US appeals court, it seems that net neutrality’s return is unlikely.

The courts new ruling hinges on a new precedent set by the US supreme court case (the ‘Loper Bright’ case) last summer. This case saw a previous precedent – known as the 1984 Chevron doctrine – overturned, ruling that only the judiciary should have the power to interpret the law in ambiguous cases, rather than federal agencies like the FCC.

Since previous net neutrality rulings by the FCC rested on their interpretation of ambiguous regulatory law via the Chevron doctrine, these arguments are no longer valid.

“Applying Loper Bright means we can end the FCC’s vacillations,” read the court ruling.

In reaction to the ruling, FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel argued that it was now necessary for Congress to enshrine net neutrality principles into federal law.

“Consumers across the country have told us again and again that they want an internet that is fast, open and fair. With this decision it is clear that Congress now needs to heed their call, take up the charge for net neutrality and put open internet principles in federal law,” she said.

However, with Congress majority controlled by anti-net neutrality Republicans, it seems unlikely that this call to action will bear fruit – at least during the incoming Trump administration.

Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, on the other hand, was much more positive about the ruling, describing net neutrality regulations as the Biden government’s “internet power grab”.

Brendan Carr is set to take over as FCC chair under the incoming Trump administration.

Keep up to date with all the latest telecoms news from around the world with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news:
VEON and Starlink to launch Direct-to-Cell Satellite connectivity in Ukraine
Swisscom completes acquisition of Vodafone Italia
Equinix to buy BT’s Irish data centre business for €59m

We started the week with the question of consolidation targets in the US, and now it’s time for the other side of the coin.  What network operators are most likely to be consolidators in 2025?  We’ll take it as a given that ‘infrastructure funds’ would top the more general list of likely buyers, of course, but let’s focus on the existing network operators looking to expand inorganically in the US.  Last year the perennial favorite Zayo topped the list with Lightpath and T-Mobile tied for second. … [visit site to read more]

News 

The deal follows Zegona’s €5 billion purchase of Vodafone Spain last June 

Zegona Communications has announced that Vodafone Spain and MasOrange will form a new fibre network joint venture, dubbed FibreCo. 

FibreCo will combine the two companies’  fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks, reaching roughly 12.2 million premises across Spain. This, the partners say, will create the largest FTTH network in Europe. 

FibreCo will use existing infrastructure, with nearly 40% of the combined FTTH network already in use  by 4.5 million customers. It plans to deploy the latest technologies, such as XGS-PON, to improve service quality. Vodafone Spain will use FibreCo to deliver services to both retail and wholesale customers. 

FibreCo is expected to generate approximately €480 million in annual EBITDA within three years.  

A third-party investor is also being sought to join the venture, with the proposition already reportedly receiving strong interest. Under the proposed structure, MasOrange will retain 50% ownership, Zegona will hold 10%, and the third-party investor will take a 40% stake. 

“Entering this FibreCo partnership with MasOrange, alongside our recently announced agreements with Telefonica, transforms Vodafone Spain’s fixed line strategy. The combination will give guaranteed access to a future-proof all fibre national network with attractive economic terms and will enable substantial cost savings across the business. Monetising these two FibreCos is expected to deliver very significant Zegona proceeds, generating the ability to reduce leverage and provide a return of capital to shareholders,” said Eamonn O’Hare, Chairman and CEO of Zegona in a press release. 

The initiative follows Zegona’s recent agreement with Telefónica to establish another fibre network in Spain and renew wholesale access terms. Combined, these projects represent a significant overhaul of Vodafone Spain’s fixed-line strategy, enabling full FTTH coverage across the country and achieving cost efficiencies.  

The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close by mid-2025, alongside the onboarding of a third-party investor. 

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

Also in the news:
Equinix to buy BT’s Irish data centre business for €59m
Part 2: More US broadband predictions as we approach 2025
World’s first 5G-A region in Mobile AI Era launched 

Two very different announcements regarding SIM registration have made headlines in two African countries in recent days: Togo is pursuing the policy, while Mauritius seems to be rejecting it.

The Togo First news resource says that the country is implementing new rules for SIM card registration through a recent government decree that mandates that all users of electronic communication services must be identified before accessing these services.

Not only is the sale of pre-activated or pre-identified SIM cards now banned but users can hold no more than three SIM cards per operator. In addition operators must also maintain a complete database of their subscribers and submit quarterly reports to authorities. Some of these rules were announced as long ago as 2021.

These measures, according to the authorities, aim to enhance subscriber traceability and combat fraud and cybercrime. Though recent figures do not seem to be available, Togo First says that of March 2024, Togo had about 7.3 million mobile subscribers. The present-day population is about 9.6 million.

The Republic of Mauritius is a much smaller market; it has a population of around 1,270,000 in 2025 and (in 2023) there were about 2.1 million SIM cards, arguably easier to register. However, it is now reversing its 2021 decision to put in place a framework for the registration of SIM cards, which began in 2023.

Subscribers, in other words, are no longer required to identify themselves with operators. Not only that but mobile phone operators are now required to delete the database of photographs of all those who have already registered their SIM cards.

According to the Agence Ecofin news service, the registration process was initiated on the recommendation of a Commission of Inquiry on Drugs in 2018 based on indications that some SIM cards used by tourists and foreign workers wound up in the hands of drug traffickers and their accomplices.

While it’s not clear why the authorities in Mauritius have changed tack, registration of SIM cards is still policy in a number of African countries, with security usually cited among the reasons.

Pan-African operator MTN Group has announced the conclusion of the sale of its MTN Guinea-Conakry operation to the State of Guinea. This took place on 30 December 2024.

This transaction, says MTN, aligns with its focus on portfolio optimisation and simplification, as part of Ambition 2025, a strategy anchored in building the largest and most valuable platform business with a clear focus on Africa.

MTN Group President and CEO, Ralph Mupita, has been widely quoted as saying: “This milestone marks a new phase for MTN Guinea-Conakry under local ownership, and MTN thanks the staff, customers, regulators and broader stakeholders in Guinea for their support during the time MTN has been operational in the country.”

He added: “Concluding this transaction is in line with the strategy to simplify the portfolio and allocating capital to markets where we can make a difference as MTN and deliver long-term growth and returns.”

The closing of the sale isn’t a big surprise. As long ago as November 2023 we reported ongoing discussions in progress regarding the potential ‘orderly exit’ of MTN from its operations in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry and Liberia. At that time MTN had completed the sale of MTN Afghanistan, which marked group’s exit from the Middle East.

In fact in April 2024, according to ITWeb Africa, Mupita informed shareholders and markets in April that MTN’s objective was to « streamline and restructure » its portfolio.

MTN Group completed the sale of its Guinea-Bissau business unit to Telecel in August last year. It still has a presence in Liberia.

Turkcell, globally a leading comprehensive telecom and digital services provider, has announced the successful completion of the world’s first 2.4Tbps field trial on a live transmission network in collaboration with Huawei.

This significant achievement marks a crucial milestone in optical transmission technology, addressing the ever-growing demand for data and connectivity in the future.

Turkcell, the largest telecom carrier in Türkiye, provides high-quality fixed and mobile communication services to over 43 million subscribers. With the emergence of 5G, 4K/8K video, AI, and digital services, network traffic will continue to increase significantly year on year. As a key infrastructure component, the transmission network carries the full range of companies’ services, and therefore requires reconstruction with innovative technology to meet tomorrow’s traffic and service challenges.

Turkcell successfully transmitted 2.4Tbps over a 160km distance on a live transmission network established between two data centers located in Tekirdağ and Edirne to carry high volumes of transit service traffic. The 2.4Tbps dual carrier coherent board, verified in this live trial, is empowered by a built-in high-baud rate bandwidth modulator, state-of-art non-linear compensation algorithm, and intelligent neuron function module to sense the complex link environment in an actual network in real time, and quickly optimize the network transmission performance. 

Prof. Dr. Vehbi Çağrı Güngör, Turkcell Chief Network Technologies Officer said, “Turkcell consistently remains at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies and industry trends. The introduction of the latest ultra-speed DWDM technology in collaboration with Huawei confirms our dedication to delivering next-generation innovations and providing a superior customer experience.”

Victor Zhou, President of Huawei’s Transport Network Domain, said, « We are pleased to cooperate with Turkcell to verify the reaching of this significant milestone in the ultra-high-speed optical industry. Huawei will continue to provide global operators with superior solutions that feature high quality, reliability, and sustainable evolution. »

News

The distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack caused a website failure and service disruption for around 12 hours

Today, Japan’s largest mobile operator, NTT Docomo, has revealed it has suffered a cyberattack, impacting a number of services.

The DDoS attack reportedly resulted in a system glitch at 5:27am, which disrupted access to several services – such as the company website and the company’s ‘goo’ portal – for almost 12 hours.

Mobile and other communication services were notably unaffected, though customers reported difficulty accessing the company’s ‘d payment’ mobile money service.

Cyberattacks on telecoms operators have been increasing in potency in recent years. While this attack on Docomo was relatively benign, more sophisticated attacks can put the data from millions of customers at risk. Last year, for example, a data breach at AT&T saw data from 73 million customers leaked on the dark web.

Cyberattacks are typically motivated by financial gain, primarily via blackmailing the victim or the sale of the stolen data. However, as the world becomes increasingly politically unstable we are seeing activity by state-supported hacker groups focus more on surveillance and sabotage for geopolitical ends.

Indeed, this was seemingly the motivation for a string of attacks reported at the end of last year, in which the Chinese hacker group Salt Typhoon was linked to a series of cyberattacks on the US telecoms sector. These attacks compromised data from at least nine major service providers, including AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

US Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner dubbed the breach “the worst telecom hack in our nation’s history – by far.”

Keep up to date with all the latest telecoms news from around the world with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news:
VEON and Starlink to launch Direct-to-Cell Satellite connectivity in Ukraine
Swisscom completes acquisition of Vodafone Italia
Equinix to buy BT’s Irish data centre business for €59m

News 

The connectivity could prove vital in areas where infrastructure is destroyed by Russian military activity 

Telecoms group VEON has announced a new partnership with Starlink, a division of SpaceX, to bring direct-to-cell satellite connectivity to Ukraine.  

The deal will see Kyivstar, VEON’s Ukrainian subsidiary, offer these satellite-based connectivity services to its customers across the country. 

The deal will see Ukraine become one of the first countries to benefit from Starlink’s direct-to-cell services, with T-Mobile in the US the only other operator that has agreed to roll out the technology so far.  

Service activation in Ukraine is expected in the fourth quarter of 2025 and will include SMS and over-the-top (OTT) messaging functionality. Service offerings will expand to include voice and data services in future phases. 

Global satellite constellation Starlink is currently operational in roughly 118countries worldwide, where it aims to serve customers in regions where traditional internet infrastructure is limited. Its technology has already played a significant role in connecting areas affected by natural disasters, conflict, and other infrastructure challenges. 

All of these deployments, however, currently require the use of a Starlink terminal dish. Direct-to-cell capabilities, on the other hand, will allow customers to use the satellite connectivity without any deploying any additional equipment.  

These capabilities are limited the latest Starlink satellite models, of which SpaceX has launched over 100 in the past year. 

For Ukraine, this satellite connectivity could provide customers with an invaluable emergency resource, allowing them to stay connected even when terrestrial infrastructure has been destroyed by Russian military action. 

“Kyivstar has done a tremendous job in investing in Ukraine’s 4G connectivity, expanding coverage to remote areas and increasing the energy resilience of its network. Today’s announcement helps us take our commitment to Ukraine’s connectivity to the next level, exponentially amplifying the resilience of our services with satellite connectivity,” said Kaan Terzioglu, CEO of VEON Group in a press release. 

Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov emphasised the importance of the collaboration in ensuring continuous communication for customers in Ukraine, especially during ongoing challenges.  

“Kyivstar has been the backbone of Ukraine’s resilience throughout the war, and we are committed to leaving no stone unturned to keep Ukraine connected. Our collaboration with Starlink is a game-changer in our journey towards achieving our ‘LTE everywhere’ ambition,” he said. 

VEON, which has invested over $10 billion in Ukraine since 2013, has committed an additional $1 billion for the country’s recovery and reconstruction between 2023 and 2027. The company was named the top international investor in Ukraine for 2022 and 2023 by Forbes Ukraine and NV Ukraine. 

“Working with Starlink allows us to extend connectivity to underserved areas, supporting our broader mission to provide reliable services in emerging markets,” said Augie K Fabela II, Chairman and Founder of VEON.  

At the World Communication Awards held last month in London, VEON Kyivstar won the Crisis Response Award. 

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

Also in the news:
Equinix to buy BT’s Irish data centre business for €59m
Part 2: More US broadband predictions as we approach 2025
World’s first 5G-A region in Mobile AI Era launched 

Happy New Year to all!  While network operators were mostly focused on the organic path last year, there were a few significant deals.    Verizon is buying Frontier, Lightpath bought UFD, and of course Uniti and Windstream are merging.  And that last one was not a big surprise, as Windstream topped last years poll with Uniti in 4th. What is on tap for 2025 among US network operators?  Who you think are the likeliest candidates to be sold (in part or in whole)?  (Not including already pending transactions). … [visit site to read more]

Operator MTN Uganda says it has secured UGX370 billion (about US$100 million) in committed debt financing from five local banks.

This debt financing is described as one of the largest local currency debt transactions in Uganda. The syndicated debt facility from five local banks was 1.6x oversubscribed.

MTN Uganda says this deal reflects robust confidence from lenders in the operator’s long-term potential and focus on expanding its digital and financial services offerings. The financing will be used by MTN Uganda for general corporate purposes including the expansion and improvement of the network.

The arrangement was led by Stanbic Bank Uganda, partnering with Absa Bank Uganda, Citibank Uganda, Standard Chartered Bank Uganda and Centenary Rural Development Bank.

MTN Uganda’s Chief Financial Officer, Andrew Bugembe, says: “MTN Uganda’s achievement in securing this substantial funding underscores our competitive strength and reflects the growing appetite for premium corporate debt instruments within Uganda’s financial sector.” MTN Uganda continues to operate with a strong balance sheet, he points out.

MTN Uganda serves approximately 21.6 million mobile subscribers as of September 2024. Its main competitor in the market is Airtel Uganda with 15.6 million customers by 30 June 2024. The company is 76% owned by the MTN Group, Africa’s leading telecommunications company with more than 280 million customers in 17 markets.

Reuters notes that in June MTN Uganda sold shares left over from its 2021 Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the Ugandan stock exchange, leaving its parent owner controlling 76% of its shareholding.