Vodafone Group completed the purchase of CK Hutchison’s 49% stake in UK joint venture VodafoneThree, less than 14 months after the formation of the operator from their respective mobile operations in the country.

In a brief statement on the completion of the £4.3 billion deal, Vodafone asserted having full ownership would allow it to “move at an even faster pace and capture the significant benefits” of its £11 billion network investment plan and “targeted synergies”.

Within the latter it aims to save £700 million across annual costs and capital expenditure by its FY30 (which runs to end-March 2030).

Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle added she expects the upgraded infrastructure to “deliver better connectivity for our customers up and down the country, help drive the UK’s digital economy, and deliver long-term value for our shareholders.”

The deal to buyout CK Hutchison was announced in May 2026.

Announcing completion of the sale, CK Hutchison deputy chair Canning Fok said the company was “proud of the role it has played in the history of [the] UK telecommunications industry”, pointing to the pioneering launch of 3G in the market under its 3 brand in 2003 and creation of the JV with Vodafone in 2025.

“This transaction realises our investment in VodafoneThree and returns value to the Group and our shareholders, while further strengthening our balance sheet and creating additional opportunities for the future,” Fok added.

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Samsung Electronics booked an operating loss at its mobile division in Q2 due to elevated component costs and revealed plans for efficiency initiatives at the unit, as it registered another all-time high in overall quarterly earnings driven by memory sales.

Its Mobile eXperience (MX) division and associated Networks Business recorded an operating loss of KRW700 billion ($480 million) compared with a profit of KRW2.8 trillion in Q2 2025. Revenue was up 14% to KRW33.2 trillion

Samsung noted despite “solid sales” of its flagship Galaxy S26 devices and “strong momentum” for its lower-end Galaxy A series, “earnings declined due to elevated component cost pressures across the industry”.

The company plans to continue its focus on providing AI experiences on its devices and “drive overall market share growth based on flagship-first expansion centred on the new Galaxy Z8 and S26 series”.

It also flagged plans to launch smart eyewear and “pursue efficiency initiatives to mitigate the impact of rising costs”.

For networks, it pointed to improved earnings supported by increased sales outside of its home market of South Korea.  

While the company suffered from rising component costs for its devices, Samsung’s memory chip business recorded what it described as an all-time high in quarterly revenue and operating profit.

The Device Solutions division, which houses the memory unit, booked an 89% increase in operating profit to KRW89.2 trillion on revenue up 357% to KRW127.5 trillion.

Across the whole of Samsung Electronics, revenue was up 130% to KRW171.5 trillion and net profit grew from KRW5.1 trillion to KRW71.6 trillion.

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BMW Group handed Qualcomm Technologies a long-term deal to be the lead supplier of chips for its digital cockpit and next generation automated and assisted driving systems.

The chip company revealed it had been appointed the automotive giant’s lead compute silicon provider for the business areas over the next decade, with products being used from its Snapdragon Digital Chassis portfolio.

It noted the latest deal follows years of technical collaboration between the pair, pointing to a commercial launch of an automated driving system in the BMW iX3 vehicle in November 2025.

Qualcomm EVP and group GM, Automotive, Industrial and Embedded IoT and Robotics Nakul Duggal said “as agentic and physical AI drive a new generation of intelligent vehicles, this collaboration enables both companies to define the future of mobility”.

The company added the deal “establishes the hardware basis for BMW Group to deliver the next generation AI-powered experience”.

Qualcomm has been actively pursuing the automotive sector in recent years as part of a diversification strategy to spread its revenue away from being handset-heavy.

Accelerating ambitions
Last month, the company upped financial targets for revenue from automotive and general non-smartphone earnings.

At its investor day in June, it set out an ambition to make $10 billion in revenue from the automotive segment in its fiscal 2029 (ending late September 2029), forming part of a wider target of $40 billion in non-handset revenue that year.

It expects revenues from handsets to make up a third of its top line figure in fiscal 2029.

The previous target for fiscal 2029 was $8 billion from automotive out of a non-handset figure of $22 billion.

In its fiscal 2025, automotive revenue generated almost $4 billion of its total $38.4 billion. Handsets contributed $27.8 billion of its top line.

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