Mobile World Congress 2025: A Preview by John Strand, Strand Consult
For the past 22 years, Strand Consult has provided previews and post-views of the Mobile World Congress (MWC). MWC began 38 years ago in Cannes as a small conference, where…
Consolidation
Strand Consult has analyzed 4-3 mobile mergers for many years across the world. We have described the cases that the EU’s DG Competition has rejected and the cases that have been approved outside the EU. Strand Consult has observed that competition authorities have limited understanding of the impact of technological development on competition in the telecommunications world.
Strand Consult’s research project “Why four to three mobile mergers fail” offers new research and powerful facts about mobile industry consolidation in USA, EU, and around the world. Strand Consult’s goal is to lift the level of merger review in quantitative analysis, improve the credibility and transparency of antitrust decisions, and protect agencies from regulatory capture. Companies need to be smarter in their consolidation strategies; antitrust authorities need to improve their toolsets and measurement techniques; and policymakers need to modernize the standard of review.
5G rollout slowed while mobile operators await merger approval. Case in point: the slow rollout in UK
Mobile operators around the world would like to merge 4 mobile networks in their respective nations into 3. This would improve the business case for investment by eliminating duplicative administration,…
10 reasons why EU spectrum harmonisation is a great idea but nearly impossible to implement
Spectrum harmonisation emerged as a key topic in the European Commission’s New initiative for the digital infrastructure tomorrow announced recently. In remarks to launch the consultation, Executive Vice President Margrethe…
Mobile World Congress 2024: A Preview by John Strand, Strand Consult
Strand Consult’s marks its 21st year of coverage of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) with this annual preview Research Note. Each year Strand Consult offers its growing global audience its…
Everyone is talking about consolidating the European telecommunications market – Some believe that Margrethe Vestager will change her mind before she leaves the European Commission.
European policymakers’ tendency to deter mobile telecom mergers frustrates the industry’s incentives and ability to invest in broadband infrastructure. The European Union struggles with a broadband connectivity gap estimated at…
The European Commission just cancelled Christmas. Fair share update for telecom shareholders
On October 10, the European Commission published a summary report on the consultation on the future of the electronic communications sector and its infrastructure with reference to critical issues like…
Mobile World Congress 2023: A Preview by John Strand, Strand Consult
This is Strand Consult’s 20th year of coverage of the Mobile World Congress (MWC). This pre Research Note covers the event’s themes and keynotes and offers critical reflections of the…
You ain’t seen nothing yet VII – Everyone talks about a potential merger between Vodafone and 3UK
News just broke that Vodafone and 3UK are considering a 4 to 3 merger in the United Kingdom. According to Barclay’s analysis, Vodafone will take 51% of the combined company;…
You ain’t seen nothing yet III – Everyone talks about consolidation and 4 to 3 mergers, but regulators don´t buy it.
Mobile industry consolidation and 4 to 3 mergers receives increasing attention. It is a natural development in an industry in which scale is important and which prices continue to fall…
The World’s Most Perfect 3-Player Market: Norway’s Lyse to buy ICE and create convergent fixed-mobile operator
This morning Norway’s Lyse /Altibox announced it would acquire mobile operator ICE. Lyse owns Altibox and partners with 33 fiber players, most being energy companies with fiber broadband networks to…
2022 predictions and 2021 telecom review from Strand Consult
Strand Consult has followed the mobile telecom industry for more than 25 years and has published predictions for the last 21. See the collection. This research note reviews the highs…
Is telecoms consolidation in Asia, Africa, Latin American and Europe a challenge?
Many countries in Asia have a history of very competitive mobile markets and very low prices. This is immediately obvious on the streets of Bangkok, Hong Kong or Bangalore. Mobile…
