One-time charges saw Vodafone's profits fall 8.7 percent year-on-year in its full-year financials, despite revenues increasing 3.2 percent on the back of strong growth outside Europe and the mobile data explosion. Looking to the future, Vodafone has announced its intention to deepen its relationship with U.S. giant Verizon Wireless, in which it holds a 45 percent stake. (See Vodafone Deepens Ties With Verizon and Vodafone Reports Full Year.)
Some good news for Etisalat, the former state monopoly in the United Arab Emirates, reports Reuters. The regulator there has said it will reduce the amount of royalties that the operator has to pay the government -- though it hasn't said when this will happen. Currently Etisalat pays around half of its profits in royalties to the government. (See Euronews: March 21 and The UAE's Fiber-Filled Future.)