Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Asian lockdowns hit Telenor's third quarter; Vodafone Portugal grabs 5G spectrum; Swisscom feels the pressure.
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition of UK chip designer Arm by Nvidia, the US-based processor giant. An initial investigation convinced the Commission that it has good reason to take things a step further, concerned as it is that the merged entity would have the "ability and incentive" to make it difficult for Nvidia's rivals to access to Arm's technology. In a statement, the Commission's competition boss, Margrethe Vestager, said: "Our analysis shows that the acquisition of Arm by NVIDIA could lead to restricted or degraded access to Arm's IP, with distortive effects in many markets where semiconductors are used." The Commission now has 90 working days – until March 15, 2022 – to reach a decision on the proposed deal. (See Eurobites: Nvidia seeks EU approval for Arm deal and UK watchdog flexes muscles over Nvidia's Arm deal.)
The still-grim COVID-19 situation in parts of Asia took its toll on Telenor's third quarter, with a 2.2% year-on-year decline in organic EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization), to 46.9 million Norwegian kroner (US$5.57 million), on revenues that slipped 0.3%, to NOK27.41 billion ($3.26 billion). Things were rosier on Telenor's Nordic/Baltic home turf, however – in Finland and Denmark the operator saw a 4% growth in subscription and traffic revenues.
Vodafone Portugal has acquired 110MHz of spectrum at a cost of €133.2 million ($154.68 million) in the country's latest spectrum auction, which the operator says will allow it to significantly expand the capacity of its 5G network. However, CEO Mário Vaz criticized the way the auction was set up, calling it "poorly thought out," and blaming its design for a delay in the implementation of 5G in Portugal compared to other European countries.
Revenue from telecom services at Swisscom declined by 3.3% year-on-year in the third quarter, to 4.12 billion Swiss francs ($4.48 billion), despite group revenue rising 1.7%, to CHF8.34 billion ($9.08 billion), over the same period. Swisscom blamed its problems on the familiar combination of "competition and price pressure." On the fiber front, the operator admitted that the expansion of its FTTH network is " currently clouded by uncertainty" as a result of a recent court ruling. Taking all things into consideration, Swisscom has adjusted its outlook slightly southwards for full-year 2021, anticipating net revenue of around CHF11.2 billion ($12.2 billion).
Orange has announced a network-sharing partnership with Liquid Intelligent Technologies in Africa. The deal will give Liquid access to Orange's network in West Africa, including the new Dakar-based Djoliba network, and Orange will gain access to Liquid's pan-African network. More than 20 countries are covered by the partnership.
A disabled artist has created a massive mural in the Belgian city of Antwerp, using the Proximus mobile network to operate a "graphic robot," carried by two drones and equipped with spray paint cans, that actually applied his design to the wall. The artist, Geert Nys, is confined to a wheelchair and usually paints on cardboard, but the graphic robot allowed him to work on a grander scale. Figure 1: Geert Nys' mural takes shape on a wall in Antwerp, courtesy of a 'graphic robot' and connectivity from Proximus.
BT is pinning its hopes on a new digital advertising platform for small UK businesses that lack the wherewithal or inclination to navigate their way through the labyrinthine promotional tools proffered by the likes of Google, Facebook and Instagram. Research by BT found that 40% of SMEs in the UK aren't using paid digital media advertising, so the operator believes it has spotted a gap in the market for a single analytics dashboard that can do most of the heavy lifting. The Digital Marketing Hub has been developed with feedback from more than 1,500 businesses.
— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading
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