Vodafone and Three have largely dismissed the most recent objections to their proposed merger put forward by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). No surprise there, then. They have, however, have offered certain guarantees on prices for retail customers who are on low incomes or are otherwise classed as vulnerable and set out a new wholesale price framework for smaller mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs).

In a lengthy statement from their lawyers, the operators argue against the CMA's suggested merger "remedies," saying they "strongly disagree with the CMA's provisional view that the Transaction may result in a substantial lessening of competition ('SLC') in the retail and wholesale mobile markets."

They offer three "workable consumer protections" that could be deployed within the first two years of network integration, namely three commitments: to maintain prices for "value-focussed customers," to maintain social tariffs and to exclude vulnerable customers in financial difficulty from mid-contract price rises.

On the wholesale side, Vodafone and Three say they would make wholesale access to their merged network available to MVNOs with 2.5 million or fewer customers on pre-agreed terms under a framework they call the "Wholesale Reference Offer."

BT has pocketed an upfront payment of £105 million (US$141 million) from recycling company EMR for its first batch of redundant copper cables, the Guardian reports. BT is ultimately hoping to recover up to 200,000 tonnes of copper from the ongoing fiberization of its network – a haul that the Guardian estimates could be worth around £1.5 billion ($2 billion).

Ericsson has grabbed a slice of Viettel's 5G rollout in Vietnam, specifically the part of the network that includes the capital, Hanoi, and the north and central parts of the country. Last week Nokia revealed that it too had a hand in the Viettel 5G project. Ericsson claims to have been awarded the "majority" of the nationwide deployment, while Nokia maintains it is Viettel's "principal partner" in the rollout. Go figure.

Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, is investigating broadband provider BRSK over allegations that it failed to consult with the local planning authority in Birmingham before installing telegraph poles. Such consultations are meant to allow relevant local considerations to be drawn to the provider's attention, such as possible hazards or "visual amenity concerns." Ofcom received the complaint in May 2024.

Nokia has landed a network upgrade gig with Brazilian IXP operator NIC.br. NIC.br will replace part of its existing setup with the Nokia 7250 Interconnect Router (IXR) and 7750 Service Router (SR), which support EVPN services and 400/800G interfaces.

Dutch operator KPN has had its climate targets validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI). KPN aims to reduce its absolute scope 1 emissions by 84% by 2030 (compared to 2015 levels).