Report: How to deliver a comprehensive big data analytics framework to communication service providers

on January 3, 2017

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Big Data - generic
How to deliver a comprehensive big data analytics framework to communication service providers by William McKnight:
The communications service provider (CSP) industry has undergone a dramatic shift in recent years. The traditional model of competing on subscription plans is no longer an adequate business strategy. Since most internal systems were built with this model in mind, these environments, with non-enriched, non-integrated, and latent data, fit for after-the-fact reporting, are struggling to keep up with the changes.
This research report will explain how CSPs establish a framework for their analytics as well as review the business drivers for telcos and the key benefits that big data analytics provide. It will also address the impact of the business drivers and the advantages of streaming analytics, combined with the ability to harness big data to meet several CSP competitive requirements. It will conclude by summarizing this comprehensive big data analytics framework for CSPs.

To read the full report, click here.

Hutchison Whampoa hopes to buy O2 UK for $15 billion

on January 23, 2015

The pairing-off of major U.K. telecommunications players continues: On Friday, Three’s Hong Kong owner, Hutchison Whampoa, said it was now in exclusive takeover discussions with Telefónica’s O2.

The merry dance began last November, when fixed-line player BT (the company that once spun out what became O2) said it wanted to get back into the mobile game, and was considering buying either EE (joint-owned by Germany’s Deutsche Telekom and France’s Orange) or O2. Hutch waded in days later, indicating that it was also mulling a purchase of EE or O2.

In December, BT formally announced that it was in exclusive talks to pick up EE for just under $20 billion. So it’s no surprise to see Hutch now doing the same with Three – a move that would reduce the number of network-owning British carriers from four to three.

As things stand, Spain’s Telefónica would get £9.25 billion ($13.86 billion) in cash for O2, which it would no doubt use to pursue further consolidation opportunities in other markets – last year it bought KPN’s German E-Plus subsidiary, for example.

It could also look forward to “deferred upside interest sharing payments of up to a further £1 billion in the aggregate payable after the cumulative cash flow of the combined businesses of Hutchison 3G UK Limited and O2 UK has reached an agreed threshold,” according to the statement.

All this depends on due diligence, agreement on terms and regulatory approval. At the EU level, digital economy commissioner Günther Oettinger says he’s keen to see more consolidation in European telecoms, so as to create bigger regional rivals to U.S. carriers. Though this, of course, would be a larger Hong Kong-owned player.

Telefónica already got rid of its U.K. fixed-line business in 2013, selling it to BSkyB for $300 million.

BT in talks to buy EE for $20 billion

on December 15, 2014

BT, the company once known as British Telecom, said on Monday that it is now exclusively negotiating a possible £12.5 billion ($19.6 billion) takeover of the mobile carrier EE, a joint venture of Germany’s Deutsche Telekom and France’s Orange.

BT and EE are now in a period of exclusivity that will last for “several weeks”, during which time BT will “complete its due diligence and for negotiations on a definitive agreement to be concluded.”

The former state telco had previously said that it was considering a purchase of either EE or O2, which is owned by Spain’s Telefonica. Since that revelation in late November, Three – the smallest U.K. mobile operator, owned by Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa – was also reported to be contemplating a buy of EE or O2.

“The proposed acquisition would enable BT to accelerate its existing mobility strategy whereby customers will benefit from innovative, seamless services that combine the power of fibre broadband, wi-fi and 4G,” BT’s statement read. “BT would own the UK’s most advanced 4G network, giving it greater control in terms of future investment and product innovation.”#

According to the statement, the £12.5 billion would be a combination of cash and BT shares, which would leave Deutsche Telekom with a 12 percent stake in BT, and Orange with a 4 percent stake.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out with the regulators. BT is not currently a significant mobile player (it runs a virtual network that resells EE connectivity) so the buy would not in itself reduce the number of mobile carriers in the U.K., but if Hutchison went ahead with an O2 buy, that would bring the number of network operators down to three.

The new EU commissioner for the digital economy, Günther Oettinger, is quite keen on encouraging consolidation in the European telecoms sector, so as to create more powerful telcos that can better compete on the international stage.

“We firmly believe that convergence is the future of telecommunications in Europe. Customers want fixed-mobile converged services from a single provider,” Deutsche Telekom CFO and EE chairman Thomas Dannenfeldt said in a statement. “The proposed transaction with BT offers the chance to further develop our superbly positioned mobile business engagement in the UK and to take part in the outstanding opportunities of an integrated business model.”

Anti-spying activists take telco complaint to the OECD

on November 4, 2013

Privacy International has asked the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development to investigate whether telecoms giants such as BT and Verizon Enterprise broke human rights rules by cooperating too much with British intelligence and not fighting back on their customers’ behalf.