EARNINGS
- KPN: 20Q2
- cumulativ cost savings since 190101 EUR 213m, maintains target YE 2021: EUR 350m
- maintains outlook 2020, outlook 2021 uncertain; plans interim div 4.3 c./share 200804
- plans new reporting: new Consumer rev break-down (convergence, BB-only, postpaid-only, legacy/non-SR), new KPIs (HH replacing RGUs, to add ARPA (address)), Business end-to-end adj EBITDA AL
- mobile site modernisation targets: FTTS to 95%, backhaul 10 Gb/s, 5G-ready, 6-8 frequency bands, 4x4 MIMO (or higher), 1 antenna, 3 site configurations
- Orange: 20Q2
- Telefonica: 20Q2
- Telefonica Deutschland: 20Q2
- BT: 20/21Q1
- Proximus: 20Q2
- Telenet: 20Q2
- Telekom Slovenije: 20Q2
- Altice Europe: 20Q2
- MasMovil: 20Q2
- Equinix: 20Q2
- Digital Realty: 20Q2
- Eutelsat: 19/20Q4
- Google: 20Q2
- Amazon: 20Q2
- Facebook: 20Q2
- Pinterest: 20Q2
- Spotify: 20Q2
- Vivendi: 20Q2
- ProSieben: 20Q2
- Omnicom: 20Q2
- Interpublic: 20Q2
CORPORATE
- Telefonica: sells Telefonica Costa Rica to Liberty Latin America, EUR 425m
- Youfone: acquires stake in Datri (business market)
- Eutelsat: acquires Bigblu Broadband (retail sat services), GBP 38m
- Plans undersea cable (Grace Hopper) between US (NY), UK (Bude), ES (Bilbao); activation 2022
- GCP order from Orange to develop AI, cloud computing, edge computing, cybersecurity
- Bloomberg: negotiates with Samsung for giving Google services more prominence on Samsung devices
- Amazon
- Rumor: to acquire 9.9% stake in Reliance Retail (<10k stores in 6500 towns)
- To add 1k jobs in IE in 2 yr (total 5k)
- Twitter: Invests in ShareChat, $40m with others
- Microsoft: Rumor: considers offer for TikTok (= ByteDance) - WSJ: negotiations on hold as POTUS Trump opposes - Reuters: ByteDance agrees to sell TikTok US
- Siilo: Raises $10.5m from VC Heal Capital, Philips Health Technology Venture Fund, EQT Ventures; to maintain focus on NL, BE, DE, UK, IE; 250k users o/w 30% are paying subs (Siilo Connect), 20m messages/mo
- Blendl (80k users, 50k paying subs) acquired by Cafeyn (1.5m active users, 1600 titles); Ari Assuied to replace founder Alexander Klöpping as CEO, Alexander Klöpping to enter Board of Mgt; in term to merge into Cafeyn app
- News Corp: James Murdoch resigns from Board of Directors over disagreements over certain editorial content and certain other strategic decisions
- Walt Disney: Fox Sports NL renews distr deal for Fox Sports with Ziggo from 200801: Fox Sports 1 free for Ziggo subs until 201231
- Comcast: Universal Pictures distr deal with AMC Theaters, multi-yr: shortened theatrical window, Premium TVOD release (~20 $/movie) <3 weeks (17 days or 3 weekends) after theatrical debut, at Universal's choice, rev share with AMC
- Netflix
- Distr deal with Mediapro in FR: bundle of Téléfoot (separately 26 EUR/mo, launch 200817) and Netflix for 30 EUR/mo in 12 mo contract
- Acquires stake in Broke and Bones (prodco), with exclusive content rights & option to buy remaining shares
NETWORKS - FIXED
Fiber
- Telefonica: Proposes Digital Deal for Spain
- GDP impact 1.8% per annum until 2025
- slogan "A Digital Deal to build back better our societies and economies"
- 100% FTTP coverage by 2025, to lead in 5G
- 5 priorities: 1. Boosting digitalisation for a more sustainable society & economy; 2. Addressing inequalities by investing in digital skills & adapting the welfare state; 3. Building inclusive & sustainable connectivity; 4. Ensuring fair competition by modernising the fiscal, regulatory & competition frameworks; 5. Improving trust through ethical & responsible use of technology.
- Telefonica Deutschland
- Telefónica Infra plans wholesale OA FTTP network in underserved areas DE with Telefónica DE as anchor tenant, looks for co-investors
- TIM
- Rumor: gvt IT wants single OA NBN from TIM network merger with Open Fiber, majority-owned by TIM, open for outside investors
- Reuters: KKR offers EUR 1.8b for 38% in access network (FiberCorp), CDP (gvt; currently 10% of TIM) to also take stake, Fastweb (Swisscom; currently 20% in JV FlashFiber with TIM) 4.4%; KKR, Macquarie, Wren interested in Open Fiber
- TIM confirms KKR offer, to discuss 200804
- Proximus
- Targets 4.2m FTTP premises by end 2028 (= 70% coverage)
- partners with Delta Fiber (= EQT) for Flanders (1.5m premises) via JV
- partners with Eurofiber (= Antin) for Wallonia (0.5m premises) via JV
- Community Fibre
- plans FTTP in London, target 1m premises by 2023
- Warburg Pincus & DTCP acquire controlling stake (other: Amber Infrastructure, RPMI Railpen)
- appoints Olaf Swantee (formerly Sunrise, EE) Exec Chair
- Consumers max 1 Gb/s (average 920/920 Mb/s) for 50 GBP/mo, Businesses 1 Gb/s for 300 GBP/mo, max 10 Gb/s for 500 GBP/mo
- Fore Freedom to reuse abandoned fuel ducts form Dpt of Defence
Other
- Akamai: peak traffic >100 Tb/s on each day in 20Q2
- Vodafone DE plans Docsis 4.0 trial 2021
NETWORKS - WIRELESS
5G
- Telekom DE reaches 40m covered pops in 3k towns, 30k antennae, target coverage 66% 2020
- US Cellular orders 5G mmWave (24 & 28 GHz bands) from Nokia for eMBB,.39 GHz from Ericsson - Expands 5G-600 (NSA) to 11 more states (already in Iowa, Wisconsin [see 200306]): California, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia; plans to provide 5G in low-band (600, AWS, PCS), mid-band (CBRS, C-band), high-band (mmWave: 24, 28, 39 GHz); plans mmWave commercial service 2021
- T-Mobile NL launches 5G-700 for smartphone users, target nationwide end 2020
- KPN launches 5G in Randstad & Eindhoven for smartphone users, 66% coverage YE 2020, nationwide 2021; launches 3 business services: Mobile coverage on demand, Prioritisation for applications, Guaranteed bandwidth
- Vodafone DE launches 5G-1800 in Frankfurt: 150 at 50 sites, max 500 Mb/s; uses 700 for rural, 1800 for urban, 3500 for hotspots (stadiums, train stations)
- Spark (NZ) launches 5G-3500 mobile in Palmerston North, to add 4 locations by YE 2020 (already has 5G-FWA [see 190927]); free access for existing subs until July 2021; partnered with Toyota for customer experience (VR test drives)
- Ooredoo Qatar launches cloud-native 5G core network (from Nokia): improved network mgt & new use cases (IIoT, VoBB, VoWiFi
- Smart Comms (= PLDT, Philippines) launches 5G in Manila as Smart 5G for smartphones
- MNOs PT (NOS, Vodafone, Altice) ban Huawei from 5G core networks
- KPN expects no ban on Huawei
Other
- SKT starts 2G switch-off
- SpaceX to raise $1b at $44b valuation
- Amazon: FCC approves Project Kuiper: 3236 satellites (at 590-630 km: LEO), 50% to be operational by 260730, 100% by 290730; >$10b; 5 phases, to activate after 578 satellites; for rural BB, 4G/5G backhaul; to use 10-14 GHz, 17-20 GHz and 27-30 GHz bands
SERVICES
Video
- Netflix: launches playback speed control for Android (iOS to follow): 0.5, 0.75, 1.25, 1.5
- Amazon: AVOD service reaches 40m MAU
- Google: YouTube Kids to offer 100 movies for free from 200831
- Apple increases investment in Apple TV+ originals
- Comcast: Peacock reaches >10m subs
- ViacomCBS: CBS All Access adds 3500 episodes (from BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon etc)
- Salto: Plans launch 201001
- RTL: Videoland trials live channels (RTL 4, 5, 7, 8)
- Sooner: Launches, 8 EUR/mo or 60 EUR/yr
- iQiyi: Plans int expansion
- Reelgood on streaming video market US 20Q2: #1 Netflix (31.5%), #2 Amazon prime (24.7%), #3 Hulu (18.6%), #4 Disney+ (6.1%), #5 HBO/HBO Max (5.2%); Netflix 40% of top 20 series
- BAFTA Awards
Telecoms
- BT launches Halo (FMC) for small businesses: Superfast Fibre Broadband, Digital Phone Line, Unlimited 4G SIM for 43 GBP/mo
- Shaw launches sub-brand Shaw Mobile: free unlimited voice/text for BB subs, unlimited data 45 CAD/mo (throttling after 25 GB)
- 1&1 Drillisch partners with Deutsche Post: physical mail notification (photo) 1 day before delievry for GMX.de and Web.de subs (34m)
REGULATORY
Spectrum, other
- Roskomnadzor (RU) awards first 5G license (24 GHz band: 24.25-24.65 GHz = 400 MHz; in 83 regions) to MTS, valid until 250716; plans business services for Manufacturing, Agriculture/pulp & paper/oil & gas, Healthcare, Retail, Logistics
- BNA (DE) proposes 450 MHz band for energy utilities (without auction), consultation until 200828
- Poland plans 3.6 GHz band auction 21Q1
- KPN proposes VVA (Verbrede Vrijwillige Aanbod) as standard for new WFA regulation
Platforms
- Sued by ACCC for misleading consumers (2016) to obtain their consent to expand the scope of personal information that it could collect & combine
- Rumor: EU plans full-scale antitrust investigation of Fitbit acquisition
- Launches About This Ad feature; Ads Transparency Spotlight extension or Chrome browser
- Amazon: ILSR report on 3rd-Party Sellers business in 2019: average fee 30% (2014: 19%), net rev $60b, "Amazon’s high fees make it nearly impossible for sellers to sustain a profitable business. Most fail."; proposes regulation (non-discrimination & fair pricing) and structural separation (online marketplace, retail division, logistics operation etc into separate companies)
- Established AI Red Team to hack own AI
- Sues EU for seeking access to too much irrelevant documents in antitrust investigation - Court suspends EU request awaiting EC ruling
- Blocks 12 accounts of Brazil President Bolsonaro supporters, complying with Supreme Court over fake news, after being fined for only blocking in Brazil [see 200625]; to appeal as regards it a threat to freedom of speech
- To ban tweets with links promoting hate speech & violence
- Permanmently bans David Duke (white supremacist) over hateful conduct
- Snap: Diversity report 2019: 6.8% of employees Latinx, 4.1% black
- Apple
- Airbnb and ClassPass complain at House over 30% iOS fees
- Telegram files antitrust complaint against App Store in EU
- General
- India bans 47 more Chinese apps, considers to ban 275 more
- NTIA (= Dpt of Commerce) orders platform regulation from FCC governing liability for content
- US Congress (House Judiciary's Antitrust subcommittee) antitrust hearing 200729 of CEOs Apple (Tim Cook; App Store), Google (Sundar Pichai; search, ads, Android), Facebook (Mark Zuckerberg; ads, acquisitions, AI use, misinformation), Amazon (Jeff Bezos; 3-rd party sellers, copy services from companies that it invests in); statements from Amazon (size benefits consumers, sellers & the economy, faces plenty of competition from Walmart, Instacart, Shopify), Apple (not dominant in any market), Facebook (more work to do in combating disinformation and voter suppression), Google (helps small businesses thrive; plenty of competition in information from Amazon, Twitter, Snapchat, WhatsApp, online advertising costs dropped 40% over 10 years) - Jeff Bezos: "social media is a nuance-destruction machine"
- Turkey establishes Digital Platforms Commission; to guard violation of laws, personal rights, fundamental rights, freedoms, privacy
- ACCC Draft news media and digital platforms mandatory bargaining code: orders platforms (Google, Facebook) to negotiate (in good faith) payments to media outlets for news snippets (on Google News, Search, Discover) from 210101 or risk infringement penalty (max 10% of Australian rev); with arbitration process: independent arbitrator (Australian Communications and Media Authority) to choose which of the two parties’ final offer is most reasonable (within 45 business days); platforms to give notice (28 days) of algorithm changes; platforms to provide usage data (time spent on article, number of articles read etc) - Google disappointed - Consultation August 2020, final order shortly after; code to be reviewed after 1 yr
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