Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Swisscom completes Vodafone Italia deal; MTN backs out of Guinea; Equinix buys BT's Irish data center business.
VEON subsidiary Kyivstar has signed an agreement with Elon Musk's Starlink to bring direct-to-cell connectivity to Ukraine. Services incorporating both SMS and OTT messaging are expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2025, with plans to expand to voice and data at a later date. VEON says it has committed $1 billion to Ukraine's post-invasion recovery and reconstruction through to 2027. (See 2024 in review: War still impacts telecom in and around Ukraine, Ukraine's networks still standing but need help and Kyivstar to invest $1B while keeping Ukraine connected.)
Swisscom has completed its acquisition of Vodafone's Italian operations for €8 billion ($8.26 billion) in a deal that Swiss operator expects to achieve what it calls "run rate synergies" of around €600 million ($620 million). Swisscom plans to merge Vodafone Italia with Fastweb, its Italian subsidiary. The finalization of the deal completes a trio of transactions initiated by Vodafone to either rid itself of or bolster underperforming operations in Italy, Spain and the UK. Reflecting the costs associated with the deal, Swisscom has revised its EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) guidance for FY2024 downwards, to 4.3-4.4 billion Swiss francs ($4.7-$4.8 billion), from CHF4.5-4.6 billion ($4.9-$5.0 billion) previously. (See Vodafone agrees to €8B sale of Italian biz to Swisscom.)
South Africa's MTN has completed the sale of its operations in the West African state of Guinea-Conakry to the Guinean state for an undisclosed sum. According to MTN, the deal forms part of its Ambition 2025 plan to optimize and simplify its portfolio of companies. MTN's relationship with the Guinean government has a somewhat rocky history – in January 2024 its offices in Guinea-Conakry were sealed by the local communications regulator over a licensing payment issue.
Tele2's Swedish joint venture with Telenor, Net4Mobility, says it has almost completed its 5G network modernization program, having extended 5G to more than 90% of Sweden's population, with 70% having access to what Tele2 calls "5G+," offering speeds of between 200 and 800 Mbit/s. Net4Mobility was formed in 2009 to build and operate a national 2G and 4G network.
Equinix has agreed to acquire BT's Irish data center business for €59 million ($61 million). The deal includes two Dublin data centers, one in CityWest and the other in Ballycoolin. BT is presenting the move as the latest manifestation of its "asset-light strategy," which includes a shift away from running its own data centers.
Finnish operator Elisa suffered subsea cable damage over the Christmas break, discovering faults with its connections between Finland and Estonia in the Gulf of Finland. Thanks to built-in redundancy, the issue did not affect Elisa's services in Finland or Estonia, said the company. (See Eurobites: Sabotage suspected after latest subsea cable cut.)
Spain's Telefónica has made it into the top ten of Newsweek magazine's Excellence 1000 Index 2025 global ranking list, the only operator to do so. The list recognizes companies that are deemed to have successfully balanced financial growth with social responsibility, ethics and global sustainability. Nvidia, the AI-friendly chip giant, tops the list.
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