Monday, November 02, 2020

Week 44 in Telecoms, Internet, Media

Corporate

M&A

Earnings

Networks

FTTP

  • KPN: Acquires Sterk Midden-Drenthe FTTH: 5900 premises in 23 villages, to close Nov 2020; to provide service on the network from 2021
  • Primevest & T-Mobile NL start FTTP roll-out in Eindhoven: 29k premises in Centrum, Strijp, Gestel (186 route km, 1680 fiber km), to finish end 2021
  • Proximus: Establishes JV with Eurofiber to design, build, maintain, upgrade FTTH in Wallonia, target 500k premises
  • Telefonica DE: Establishes 50/50 OA FTTP JV with Allianz, EUR 5b in 6 yr (Telefonica EUR 500m in equity, Allianz EUR 1b + external financing): rural & semi-rural FTTP to 2m HH; Telefonica Infra to own 40%, Telefonica DE 10%, Allianz 50%; to close 21H1
  • Comcast: Sky UK launches FTTP option for Sky Broadband Superfast and Sky Broadband Ultrafast subs; coverage 3m HP, target 7.3m by March 2021; average speed 145/27 Mb/s; 35 GBP/mo; G.fast reach 2.8m HH, FTTC 28.9m

5G

  • Finnish Shared Network Ltd (SYV; = DNA, Telia FI) orders 5G RAN from Nokia (also: 2G, 3G, 4G site modernisation), 2021-2023
  • OnePlus launches Nord N10 5G, EUR 200 (without 5G: from EUR 200)
  • TPG Telecom plans 5G-based FWA service ('the method of delivery of broadband, whether via fixed line or mobile, is increasingly irrelevant')
  • T-Mobile NL reaches near-nationwide (90% pops) coverage
  • Post Luxembourg orders 5G Core & RAN from Ericsson
  • BT plans Private 5G in Belfast Harbour, to launch early
  • C Spire to launch 5G in Brookhaven (Lincoln County) & Columbus (Lowndes County)
  • FCC (US) establishes 5G Fund for Rural America, $9b in 10 yr
  • Vodacom ZA orders 5G (Cora, RAN, FWA) from Nokia (incl 700/800, 2600, 3500 MHz bands to be auctioned 21Q1)
  • T-Mobile US expands 5G-2500 by 200 to 410 cities; target 100m pops coverage YE 2020
  • Verizon 5G Home Internet (FWA) expands to Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, San Jose (total 12 cities)
  • DNA expands 5G to Ylivieska, total pops coverage <1.5m
  • Telenor SE launches 5G in Stockholm, nationwide by 2023l unlimited data 570 SEK/mo
  • Hrvatski Telekom launches 5G in parts of Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Osijek, Samobor, Sveta Nedelj, based on DSS

Services

Video

Other

  • Music: Google: YouTube Music & Music Premium reach 30m paying subs at 200930 (35m incl free trials)
  • Gaming: Facebook: Launches Facebook Gaming (beta; cloud gaming, no downloads), free, first on Android & web (not on iOS over Apple's App Store policy [see Apple 200911]), 6 games (mobile-first), users can chose Player Name
  • Television
    • T-Mobile US relaunches TVision, with dongle (Android-based, $50, with Bluetooth for casting from devices, Google Play), remote (with Google Assistant; dedicated buttons for Netflix, YouTube, EPG, nDVR); tiers: TVision Live 40 $/mo (3 simultaneously streams, 100 hr storage), Live TV+ 50 $/mo (10 more channels), Live Zone 60 $/mo (20 more channels); access to 3rd-party services via TVision Channels (Showtime 11 $/mo, Starz 9 $/mo, Epix 6 $/mo), TVision Vibe 10 $/mo (30 entertainment channels); promo for Live TV+ and Live Zone subs: 1 yr free Apple TV+; to be available for non-subs 2021
    • Canal+ Polski launches hybrid DTT/OTT box (based on Android TV'4K, HDR), PLZ 300 (EUR 65); with 4 tiers
  • Broadband: Orange BE launches Home Internet (BB-only): 100 Mb/s for 40 EUR/mo (TV add-on 15 EUR/mo, voice 10 EUR/mo, Internet Boost to 400 Mb/s 15 EUR/mo); with FUP (max 750 GB/mo)
  • Chat: Facebook: WhatsApp reaches 100m messages/day
  • Apple
    • FT: plans search engine competitor as part of iOS 14L shows own results, links directly to sites
    • Launches Apple One: bundle of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud; 3 tiers: Individual 15 $/mo (50 GB), Family 20 (200 GB, max 6 users), Premier 30 (2 TB; max 6 users; also has News+, Fitness+)

Regulatory

  • Google
    • Search engine alliance of DuckDuckGo (US), Ecosia (DE), Lilo (FR), Qwant (FR), Seznam (CZ) ask EC for trilateral meeting to establish a more effective preference menu in Android to more easily choose a default search engine
    • AGCM (Italian Competition Authority) starts investigation into digital ads market for p[ossible abuse of dominant position
  • Facebook: Sued in England/Wales in CALS (Facebook You Owe Us) over failing to protect users' personal data in the Cambridge Analytica breach
  • Platforms
    • ACCC Digital Platform Services inquiry interim report: Google 58% and Facebook 23% of digital ad spend (2018: 49 resp 24%)
    • Marrgethe Vestager (EC VP for Digital Affairs) opposes company break-up for internet platforms (but doable)
    • Hearing US Senate Commerce Committee with CEOs of Facebook (Mark Zuckerberg), Twitter (Jack Dorsey), Google (Sundar Pichai) over content moderation and Section 230


at 12:23 am
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