Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao has been using this interview with The Sunday Telegraph to defend his company against allegations of dubious tax practices, implying that the sums it had to pay to the U.K. government for spectrum are in themselves a form of tax, so it can hardly be blamed if it seeks to minimize what it subsequently pays in corporation tax. Separately, the Financial Timesreports (subscription required) that in the light of tough trading conditions the mobile giant is reviewing its sports and events sponsorships, the most high-profile of which is its backing of the McLaren Formula 1 team. (See Vodafone Defends Its Tax Record.)
Is the duopoly of mobile operators Etisalat and Du in the UAE living on borrowed time? Citing Emarat Al Youm, Telecompaper reports (subscription required) that new operators could be allowed in from 2016.
In South Africa, the ruling ANC party has been discussing the possible re-nationalization of Telkom SA Ltd., the ailing fixed-line operator, reports Reuters. Last month Telkom declined a US$385 million offer from South Korea's KT Corp. for a stake in the carrier.
Danish operator TDC A/S has changed its CEO, replacing Henrik Poulsen with former IBM Corp. man Carsten Dilling. (See TDC Names New CEO.)
Swiss wholesaler Netstream has chosen Edgeware AB's Distributed Video Delivery Network (D-VDN) as the platform for its IPTV services, which it supplies to various domestic operators. (See Edgeware Wins Swiss IPTV Deal.)
— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading
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