Vodafone Group will reportedly miss out on more than €1.1 billion in deferred payments from German broadband venture OXG, after its partner Patrick Drahi’s Altice agreed a deal to sell its stake.

Financial Times reported Vodafone was set to receive deferred payments of €487 million and a further €595 million from Drahi’s Geodesia Holding, which held the stake that was managed by Altice, based on hitting business objectives.

That agreement has, however, been thrown into the water due to Societe General agreeing to acquire Drahi’s stake. The buyer will not be subject to the same commitments Drahi was, according to sources, meaning Vodafone will miss out.

In a statement released by Vodafone in September after the deal between Geodesia Holding and Societe Generale was agreed, the operator expressed support of the sale.

“The transaction secures a committed funding partner in OXG, enabling the continued expansion of its fibre network in Germany, while maintaining strategic flexibility for Vodafone.”

Vodafone partnered with Drahi’s Altice to launch OXG in 2023, with both companies taking a 50% stake in the business.

However, the entity has struggled to hit targets. FT reported OXG committed to spend €7 billion on its fibre buildout to more than seven million homes in Germany up to 2029, however it encountered higher than expected costs.

The network currently only reaches 1 million homes. Vodafone was due to receive the first of its deferred payments after reaching 1.5 million homes.

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Japanese operators hope to make inroads to improving the reach of mmWave 5G and signed a memorandum of understanding covering joint exploration of ways to do so.

SoftBank Corp, KDDI, NTT Docomo and Rakuten Mobile agreed to jointly explore how the coverage afforded by mmWave 5G at 28GHz could be expanded within the limitations of the band, which offers solid connectivity over short distances.

The operators each issued a statement explaining the frequency band is prone to degradation due to physical obstructions and has propagation characteristics which are susceptible to attenuation.

They plan to study ways to expand the use of compatible base stations and architectures to identify possible options to widen the reach of mmWave 5G.

The exploration is also set to cover repeater equipment and other relevant assets.

Some form of shared access could be involved: the operators stated they would continue to deploy their own mmWave 5G equipment, but look into “how to effectively” use it.

The operators explained they are taking action because of difficulties in deploying enough mmWave 5G base stations in a timely fashion, which they noted is a common challenge.

A baseline assumption of their research is each operator will determine their own expansion needs and explore how a combined approach to boosting coverage could fit with their requirements.

There is an overarching ambition towards “transcending the boundaries” between the operators.

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Europe’s biggest operators urged European Union (EU) policymakers to rethink regulation they argue is restricting investment in connectivity, with spectrum, fibre and cybersecurity rules amongst their top concerns.

In a joint statement, 17 European telecoms chiefs including Telefonica chairman and CEO Marc Murtra, Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges, Orange CEO Christel Heydemann and Telenor Group president and CEO Benedicte Fasmer called on the EU to “correct the course” of the proposed Digital Networks Act (DNA) and Cybersecurity Act (CSA).

The executives argued that “incoherent policy reforms” risk weakening the region’s position. They noted the mobile sector requires €475 billion to establish world-class mobile networks, “requiring a step change in investment”.

The DNA, unveiled by the European Commission (EC) in January to modernise and simplify connectivity rules, aims to harmonise regulation, facilitate cross-border operations and promote investment in fibre and mobile networks. However, the operators argued the framework fails to improve the investment and innovation environment for European connectivity.

The CEOs called for spectrum licences to be granted indefinitely by default, with terms of at least 40 years in exceptional cases. They explained a move away from frequent auctions would free up capital for 5G, fibre and future 6G deployment, adding European operators spent €110 billion on spectrum licences alone over the past 12 years.

The group also pushed back against mandated copper shutdowns, stating operators should decide when to retire legacy networks based on customer demand and market conditions. European operators invest more than €30 billion annually in fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks.

Safety net
More broadly, the telcos called for a shift away from rules designed for legacy networks, arguing “regulation should remain a safety net” in “today’s increasingly competitive fibre market”. It also urged policymakers to allow greater scope for innovation with advanced 5G and 6G services, including network slicing and quality differentiation.

On cybersecurity, the operators warned CSA rules mandating the removal of equipment from high-risk third-country suppliers including Huawei could result in up to €40 billion in replacement costs for the sector. They called for a “proportionate, risk-based approach” that considers alternative measures, adding blanket replacement requirements could divert capital away from fibre, 5G and 6G investment.

Ultimately, the group argued stronger connectivity would support growth across AI, sovereign cloud and defence technology. “As CEOs of Europe’s leading telecom companies, we are ready to play our part in delivering European tech leadership,” the executives stated.

Other signatories included executives from TIM, KPN, Proximus, Swisscom and Liberty Global.

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Tele2 sought out an experienced telecoms executive to become its next EVP and CCO in an appointment due to happen no later than 1 June 2027.

Vahdat Zehtab brings 18-years of experience in the telecoms sector and is set to join from the post of CEO with Valdyr, creator of an AI-native network operating system.

Tele2 is filling a role opened when it promoted Nicholas Hogberg to be president and CEO in July after Jean Marc Harion stood down for personal reasons.

Zehtab spent five-years heading Telia’s B2C Mobile unit covering its Swedish operation. Tele2 also highlighted broad international experience in commercial director roles “across several European and Asian markets”.

There was further B2C experience gained with Ncell in Nepal.

Valdyr appeared to cash in on news of the appointment by choosing today (15 September) to reveal the moniker as its new brand, replacing its previous Telness Tech name.

Executives said the rebrand better reflects “what remains once the old” telecom stack is removed.

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Telefonica agreed a five-year deal worth around €1.7 billion with sports streamer Dazn to broadcast Spanish football matches, in line with the operator’s pay-TV strategy.

The operator stated it would pay an average of €330 million per season from 2027, in an arrangement running until 2032. The sum is 18% more than the €1.4 billion deal Telefonica agreed with Dazn in 2022 which also spanned five seasons.

Telefonica has made football a central part of its strategy, using premium sports content to attract high-value customers on its pay-TV bundled packages.

It faced increased competition for the rights to show top-tier La Liga matches, which has expanded access beyond traditional broadcasters, and attracted interest from US media groups and digital companies.

UK streaming service Dazn holds the rights to show around half of the matches in La Liga and the new agreement gives Telefonica access to games lost to the streaming service following an auction in 2025 which was worth €5 billion.

Telefonica attributed a domestic revenue increase in Q2 to a boost from TV subscribers during the FIFA World Cup tournament.

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MobileX launched its first hybrid retail wireless model with CallSign Mobile, a network specifically built for US military veterans and the veteran community.

CallSign Mobile is the first brand to launch under the model created by the Charlie Ergen-owned special purpose acquisition company CONX, which secured a controlling interest in MobileX in August 2026.

MobileX has a wholesale network MVNO agreement with Verizon while Ergen holds agreements with T-Mobile US and AT&T. A representative for MobileX told Mobile World Live CallSign is using Verizon’s network.

While MobileX is providing wireless connectivity, CallSign oversees the customer experience and relationship with the US military veteran community it is designed to serve.

In addition, MobileX founder and CEO Peter Adderton will serve as an advisor to CallSign.

“CallSign is exactly the kind of company we want to support as we expand what we’ve built at MobileX,” stated Adderton. “We’re proud to partner with a company whose mission is to serve those who served.”

Founded by former US Army aviators Adam Marr and Charlie Hill, CallSign operates as a direct-to-consumer 5G service for veterans. Marr and Hill are co-founders of CallSign and serve as CEO and CTO, respectively.

“We’re creating a wireless service that gives the veteran community a way to stay connected while giving back to those who need it most,” Marr stated. “MobileX is helping us turn that idea into a service we can bring to our community.”

The company is donating $1 per line each month to support organisations and initiatives focused on veterans, including those affected by brain injuries and post-traumatic stress.

CallSign offers two tiers of service. The standard service cost $25 per month for 10GB of QCI-8 priority data, unlimited data after reaching the threshold, a 10GB mobile hotspot, and nationwide unlimited talk and text. The premium plan is $45 permonth and includes international calling.

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Vodafone Idea reportedly faces heat from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) over complaints from Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio regarding mobile number portability (MNP) processes.

Business Standard reported the operator is in the regulator’s crosshairs after its rivals complained it broke several rules involved in helping subscribers change operator.

Vodafone Idea’s rivals believe it misled subscribers in telephone calls purporting to be from other providers and warning of changes to the user’s contract or price plan.

The operator is also alleged to have delayed the sending of SMS containing the unique porting code required by subscribers switching to another provider.

Business Standard added Vodafone Idea’s rivals claim it also sought to lure subscribers with lower-priced post-paid plans.

Vodafone Idea refutes the claims, the newspaper wrote.

A TRAI representative reportedly told Business Standard the regulator is looking into the complaints by Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio.

The pair want the regulator to explore their claims of misconduct and issue instructions on the MNP process to prevent future incidents.

TRAI fixed and mobile subscriber figures for July indicate Vodafone Idea had a combined 130 million compared with 384.2 million for Bharti Airtel and 535.1 million with Reliance Jio.

Vodafone Idea commenced a rebranding at the beginning of the month in what CEO Abhijit Kishore described as a move to align with future ambitions to deliver a top-tier experience to customers.

The Economic Times reports the operator is also in the early stages of a INR350 billion ($3.7 billion) funding move involving a ten-year loan facility from up to the same number of lenders to cover capex.

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