Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.
French telecoms company Altice has entered into an exclusivity agreement to partner with Morgan Stanley. As part of the deal, Altice France is set to sell a 70% share if its data centre business to Morgan Stanley for €535 million, which will create a new venture named UltraEdge, which will operate 257 data centre and office space across France.
Altice describe UltraEdge as “first nationwide independent distributed colocation provider in France”
The data centre business is valued at €764 million, which is 29 times greater than its pro-forma EBITDA of €26 million. Additionally, SFR will enter into a build-to-suit agreement with UltraEdge, which is expected to raise €175 million in the next 7 years.
According to reports from Los Echos, the two companies are in “advanced discussions”.
“The transaction will strengthen Altice France on its objectives to provide best in class telecommunication services to its clients as the datacenter infrastructure continues to be upgraded, expanded and densified,” said Altice in a statement.
The deal is subject to usual regulatory approval, and the deal is expected to close in the first half of next year.
Keep up to date with international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter – subscribe here.
Also in the news:
Outgoing BT CEO asks UK government for tax break
Stratospheric Platforms prepares airborne 5G trial
Verizon doubles down with second private 5G deployment at Port of Virginia
Interesting bits of infrastructure news from around the world to keep up with: … [visit site to read more]
The funding was announced in July by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), aimed at turning local and regional authorities into ‘5G Innovation Regions’, ensuring that broader areas of the UK take advantage of advanced wireless connectivity. Each of the ten regions face individual and unique challenges which will be aided by the funding. The original announcement stated a budget of £40 million, which now appears to have been reduced to £40 million.
Regions that were able to successfully demonstrate how they would adopt and develop 5G technologies across a variety of sectors were eligible for the funding, then becoming designated 5G regions.
The funding competition is a key component of the government’s ‘Wireless Infrastructure Strategy’, to commit to its pledge to extend 4G coverage to 95% of the UK population.
“We’re channelling millions into local areas to unlock the potential of cutting-edge 5G wireless and digital technologies which will reshape our public services, drive economic growth and boost innovation. This new fund will give local areas from across the country the opportunity to be at the forefront of Britain’s world-leading 5G revolution,” said Minister of Data and Digital Infrastructure Sir John Whittingdale.
“For instance, by using 5G for farming and creating science parks, we’re not just helping local communities, but also encouraging new ideas all over the UK. This is more than just linking smartphones. It’s about using powerful digital connections to transform various sectors in the economy and the public sector throughout the entire country,” he continued.
The breakdown of the ten winners is as follows:
Keep up to date with international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter – subscribe here.
Also in the news:
Outgoing BT CEO asks UK government for tax break
Stratospheric Platforms prepares airborne 5G trial
Verizon doubles down with second private 5G deployment at Port of Virginia
Payments fintech company Cellulant has obtained initial approval as a Payment Service Provider and Payment Facilitator in Egypt.
With its collections and disbursement payment solutions, Cellulant says it will enable global and regional merchants operating in Egypt to easily manage their B2B and B2C payments seamlessly in-country and internationally, whether through mobile money, wallets, cash, card, or direct bank transfers across multiple payment methods in various currencies.
Egypt’s payments sector has snowballed in recent years, with current regulations enabling instant payments and fintechs revolutionising how financial services are delivered, challenging traditional banking models and altering consumer payment preferences.
According to the 2022 Mastercard New Payment Index, 88% of Egyptians have used at least one emerging payment method, with usage expected to increase further. Customers are expanding their purchase methods, requiring businesses to expand their payment methods to alternative and locally relevant ones.
« With the prevalence of prepaid cards and mobile wallets already exceeding 40% of the adult population in Egypt, the timing of Cellulant’s acquisition of these licences could not be more opportune,” says Ahmed Marwan, Cellulant’s General Manager for Egypt and North Africa. “More importantly, we’re committed to intensifying our efforts to provide reliable payment options for businesses in the region. By simplifying their business payment process, they can focus on their growth.”
The company says that by acquiring licences to serve Egypt it strengthens its operations in Africa where it claims to have the most comprehensive payment infrastructure, integrating over 370 payment methods and operating in 35 markets, with licences and physical offices in 19 countries.
Zayo has gotten in some pre-Thanksgiving M&A activity, and in a somewhat surprising direction. The Boulder-based infrastructure provider has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Globalways GmbH. … [visit site to read more]
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.
BT’s CEO Philip Jansen has called for the UK government to implement permanent tax breaks for infrastructure investment.
In a plea to UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt ahead of his upcoming Spending Review, Jansen explained that the introduction of a tax Super Deduction in April 2021 – which reduced tax on new plan and machinery equipment by 25% – had allowed BT to increase its fibre rollout targets from 20 million homes to 25 million homes.
Now, as economic hardship increased last winter and the Super Deduction measures have come to an end, the pressure to hit these targets has greatly increased.
Thankfully, the Super Deduction scheme was replaced in spring by a new policy of Full Expensing, allowing companies a 100% tax relief on qualifying plant and machinery investments between April 2023 and April 2026.
This measure has, according to Jansen, allowed BT to keep on track with its 25 million premises target, and increase its capital investment by £300 million per year.
However, the Full Expensing scheme is expected to expire in just over two years, with Jansen arguing continued private investment in telecoms infrastructure will be difficult without these tax breaks.
As a result, he is calling for the government to make these tax breaks permanent to ensure that the UK’s telecoms industry can make the additional investment of £20 billion to meet government fibre and 5G targets.
Further explaining how tax breaks are key for incentivising investment for large firms, Jansen added that it “would give businesses like BT Group genuine long-term certainty to plan and shift the investment environment in Britain from good to great.”
“I know the Chancellor is considering this as one option for next week’s Autumn statement. He has said he would like to take this step when the economic conditions allow. With billions of pounds of potential investment at stake, it’s also important to ask whether, as a country, we can afford not to,” continued Jansen.
Jeremy Hunt is set to announce his autumn statement on 22 November.
Want to keep up to date with all the latest news from the international telecoms sector? Click here to receive Total Telecom’s daily newsletter direct to your inbox
Also in the news:
Globe Telecom plagued by network battery theft
Digital Infrastructure: Riding the resurgent wave of telecom investment
Boldyn Networks snaps up Cellnex’s private networks business unit
A team of UK companies led by Stratospheric Platforms Limited (SPL), a Non Terrestrial Networks telecoms developer, has won a significant contract trialling advanced airborne 5G connectivity from a Britten-Norman Islander. Aircraft manufacturer Britten-Norman will be providing key design and trials support for the project, with Marshall Futureworx providing important cooling systems technology.
SPL is pioneering the concept of using a High-Altitude Platform (HAP) with airborne antenna to provide widescale coverage of high performance 5G from the stratosphere. The goal of the project is to deliver an unmanned, liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft, designed with a 56-metre wingspan that will, due to its lightweight structure and significant power source, enable a flight endurance of over a week.
The contract will see SPLs 5G airborne phased array integrated to a Britten-Norman Islander, with flight trials due to begin in July 2024. The turbine-powered BN2T-4S Islander variant has been selected for the programme due to its performance and payload capacity and the simplicity with which it can be modified to accommodate the equipment. The trial will be conducted under Britten-Norman’s Civil Aviation Authority test conditions.
Britten-Norman will operate the aircraft from its Solent Airport aircraft maintenance (MRO) facility, with the mission to be performed over the North Sea. The 5G phased array will be linked via a backhaul link to the Adastral Tower in Suffolk, England, from which the telecommunications and mission equipment will operate.
Garnet Ridgway, Flight Test Engineer at Britten-Norman, remarked:
“This is a great opportunity to demonstrate the full capabilities of both Britten-Norman as an accomplished trials organisation and the Turbine Islander as a highly capable trials aircraft. Working closely with our partners, the project includes deliverables from our design, manufacture, MRO, continued airworthiness, flight test and flight operations teams.
The project requires a test platform that can be easily modified; the BN2T-4S Islander has a combination of payload capacity, endurance, climb performance, twin engine reliability, robustness and electrical power generation that makes it unbeatable for this mission.
We are very pleased to have been selected by Stratospheric Platforms to assist in pioneering this innovation.”
Kevin Bean, Chief Technical Officer at Stratospheric Platforms Limited said:
“We are delighted to be working with Britten-Norman on this programme. The Islander is a great workhorse for this kind of engineering because it can be rapidly and extensively modified to accommodate our equipment.
The role-based type of mission which can readily be executed by the Islander, combined with the stability of the platform, is ideal for a programme where telecommunication trials require predictable performance.”
Kieren Paterson, Managing Director of Marshall Futureworx, commented:
“We’re delighted to be deepening our relationship with SPL, Cambridge-based technology leaders, through this project. It is easy to see why they are considered among the UK’s most promising innovators.
This is an exciting project to be part of, with so much potential to dramatically broaden and transform access to high-speed communication—while also providing global leadership in areas such as uncrewed aviation and zero emission flight.”
Also in the news:
Globe Telecom plagued by network battery theft
Digital Infrastructure: Riding the resurgent wave of telecom investment
Boldyn Networks snaps up Cellnex’s private networks business unit
Five infrastructure projects touching five continents: … [visit site to read more]
