As a result, the Chinese telecoms company announced it has ended lawsuits brought against the technology giant in Germany over patented technology in regards to wifi and video playback.

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This comes as the USA has banned Huawei from its market, raising concerns about data and privacy, forcing US carriers to remove their equipment from its networks.

It has also prevented firms from supplying Huawei with chips and other components as well.

Huawei Head of Huawei’s Intellectual Property Rights Department, Alan Fan, said: “Huawei is pleased to exchange patent rights with Amazon.

“Patent licensing expands the number of companies that can use what otherwise would be proprietary technologies, which, in turn, provides consumers with more innovative products and services.”

Amazon Vice President of IP, Scott Hayden, added: “Amazon respects Huawei’s worldwide patent portfolio, innovations, and contributions to the standardisation process.

“Amazon also respects Huawei’s efforts to license its patents to companies like Amazon, which frequently use industry technical standards when inventing new products and services for customers.”

The move follows Huawei’s announcement that it had signed a cross-licensing patent deal with smartphone maker Vivo, which covers cellular Standard Essential Patents, including those for 5G.

Commenting on the move, Fan stated: “This licensing agreement reflects our mutual respect for the value of each other’s patents. It also demonstrates that the industry is working together.

“We’re collectively investing in fundamental research, and we’re committed to standardising and sharing the fruits of innovation. In the end, it’s all about providing people around the world with better products and services.”

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According to the telecoms giant, a sale to Swisscom would deliver “the best combination of value creation, upfront cash proceeds and transaction certainty for Vodafone shareholders”

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The proposed deal, which Swisscom would pay in cash, would be valued at €8bn on an enterprise basis, the company revealed.

In a separate statement, Swisscom unveiled plans to merge Vodafone Italia with Fastweb, its subsidiary in Italy. However, both companies said there can be no certainty that any transaction will ultimately be agreed upon, and a further announcement will be made if required.

Swisscom said the planned merger of the firms would “bring together complementary high-quality mobile and fixed infrastructures, competencies and capabilities to create a leading converged challenger”.

It stated:”The increased scale, more efficient cost structure and significant synergy potential would enable the combined entity to unlock value for all stakeholders.”

The move comes as Vodafone agreed to sell its Spanish business for up to €5bn to Zegona Communications in October last year.

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The company stated MCR Hotels plans to preserve the tower as a hotel, with payment for the site to be made over the coming years.

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As part of the move, the telecom giants’ remaining equipment will be removed from the building, with the final payment will be made on completion. 

BT Group Property Director, Brent Mathews, said: “The BT Tower sits at the heart of London and we’ve been immensely proud to be the owners of this important landmark since 1984.

“It’s played a vital role in carrying the nation’s calls, messages and TV signals, but increasingly we’re delivering content and communication via other means. This deal with MCR will enable BT Tower to take on a new purpose, preserving this iconic building for decades to come.”

MCR Hotels CEO and owner, Tyler Morse, added: “We are proud to preserve this beloved building and will work to develop proposals to tell its story as an iconic hotel, opening its doors for generations to enjoy.”

The news comes as EE boss Marc Allera has revealed customers are “not sentimental” about losing the BT brand following its £12.5 billion acquisition.

He said: “We’re effectively rebranding a national institution. Most are aware of the changes and they understand it” claiming the telecoms business has not “seen much resistance”.

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As part of the deal, the mobile giant will adopt Dell as its preferred infrastructure partner for existing Nokia AirFrame customers, offering Dell’s technology as the infrastructure of choice for telecom cloud deployments.

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As a result, the pair will help integrate existing AirFrame customers to Dell’s broad infrastructure portfolio, including Dell PowerEdge servers.

Nokia Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, Nishant Batra, said: “This strategic partnership will make both companies more flexible and able to better address future customer needs.

“Dell’s digital transformation expertise and global scale, services and support will provide a seamless transition option for Nokia AirFrame customers, and Nokia’s vast experience in the design, deployment, and operation of high-performance public and private mobile networks will provide Dell’s customers with a comprehensive, scalable private wireless solution.”

Batra added: “In line with our technology strategy, our continued collaboration with Dell will help address the future needs of our customers brought on by the increasing demands on networks and provide solutions to help communications service providers scale modern networks to the cloud.”

Dell Technologies SVP and GM, Dennis Hoffman, continued: “Through our collaboration, Nokia and Dell Technologies will harness each company’s expertise and expanded distribution to simply and quickly scale modern telecom networks and private 5G use cases.

“With our decades of digital transformation experience, we’re ready to work together with Nokia’s customers to continue their network cloud transformation journey on the industry’s top selling compute platform.”

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The CEO of e&, Hatem Dowidar, will join the board of telecoms giant, Vodafone, with effect from 19 February 2024.

Dowidar will join the board as a member of the Nominations & Governance Committee with effect from the same date. 

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He has over 30 years of experience in multinational companies, with 24 years of these working in telecommunications.

Before joining e&, which holds a 14.6% stake in Vodafone, Dowidar held various leadership positions at the telecoms giant, including Regional Director of Emerging Markets, CEO of Vodafone Egypt, CEO of Vodafone Malta, and CEO of Partner Markets.

Commenting on his appointment, Dowidar said: “I look forward to joining the Board of Vodafone and working with Jean-François and my fellow Board members to support the rapid transformation being undertaken by Margherita Della Valle [Vodafone Managing Director] and the management team.”

Vodafone Chairperson, Jean-François van Boxmeer continued: “I am delighted that Hatem will be joining Vodafone’s Board.”

“He brings extensive experience within the telecommunications industry and has held senior positions across a range of companies in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. His appointment will further strengthen our strategic partnership.”

However, the appointment comes as the UK government recently ordered Vodafone to take steps to manage risks as it has concluded that the UAE-based telecoms company’s stake in the mobile giant poses national security risks amid government contracts and cyber security.

READ MORE: Interview: Vodafone UK Brand & Marketing Director on ‘strategic’ brand positioning, sustainability and social responsibility

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Marketing leaders in the UK are expected for a “bullish” year, with over 70% planning on boosting digital budgets, new data has revealed.

According to findings by content agency No Brainer, 2024 is expected to see a resurgence in industry optimism, with further investments in AI, websites, SEO, broadcast and podcasts.

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The research found that 64% of marketing leaders are to increase spending on AI by as much as 60%, compared with 64% increasing spend on websites, SEO 62% and influencer marketing 56%, respectively.

Some 57% added they were going to increase spend on content marketing by 60%.

No Brainer, Director, Gary Jenkins said: ” Four years of rising costs, inflationary pressures, and squeezed budgets has made life tough for UK marketing leaders tasked with delivering growth, but we’re expecting to see that turnaround in 2024 with many taking a more bullish approach in terms of spending power.

“This is great to see, and not just because we play in this space, but because if businesses of all sizes are serious about recovery and growth, then investing strategically in the right areas of marketing is crucial. Sadly, in challenging times, these are the things that can often be the first cut.”

He added: “When every penny matters, as it has in recent years, then there’s a laser focus on marketing leaders proving the value of every pound they spend, and quite rightly. It’s got everyone challenging the ROI of their spending across every marketing sector, and the same rule should apply to these increased budgets.

“It’s about putting them to best use. A solid, strategically planned marketing strategy can unlock new audiences, drive more revenue from existing ones, and drive more brand loyalty and advocacy, so it’s still a case of spending smart, even if spending more.”

The news follows predictions by Dentsu’s December Global Ad Spend Forecast revealing global advertising spending in 2024 is set to grow by 4.6%.

The data revealed ad spending will grow by $33 billion to $752.8 billion, thanks to digital, CTV and retail media.

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Vodafone and its biggest shareholder, e&, have partnered to provide other operators-managed voice solutions in a bid to help meet the growing demand for voice over 4G/5G (VoLTE) services.

According to the industry body the GSMA, VoLTE adoption is expected to increase to over 70% of global mobile connections by 2030, being filled by operators moving away from legacy networks in favour of 5G.

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As a result, the pair will provide operators with a “robust, scalable, and consistent managed voice service worldwide.”

They are also offering predictable costs, optimised inbound revenues, streamlined regulatory compliance, enhanced fraud protection, and seamless integration of innovative services through a cloud-based architecture.

Vodafone Procurement and Connectivity, CEO Ninian Wilson said: “Managing cross-border voice is increasingly complex due to new regulations, protecting against international scams, and the need to migrate to 5G services.

“Operators are seeking trusted partners to navigate these changes while growing their businesses. Vodafone’s strategic partnership with e& offers them a single point of contact and a dependable service globally during this transition to support them in managing changing business complexities.”

E& Group Chief Carrier & Wholesale Officer, Nabil Baccouche, added: “This collaboration between Vodafone and e& sets a new industry benchmark, extending beyond predictable cost and improved security. It focuses on empowering operators to confidently adapt to the evolving voice landscape.

“By leveraging our established capabilities, state-of-the-art platforms, and extensive industry knowledge, we provide operators with a definite way to achieve operational excellence.

“Working together, e& and Vodafone grant operators easy access to our combined skills and worldwide presence, enabling them to provide cutting-edge voice services, thereby seamlessly transforming their businesses for the future.”

However, the move follows Vodafone being ordered by the UK government to take steps to manage risks as it has concluded that e&’s stake in mobile giant poses national security risks amid government contracts and cyber security.

According to the UK Cabinet Office, Vodafone should form a national security committee to oversee work that could have an impact on security.

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Google, AT&T and Vodafone have invested $155 million in AST SpaceMobile.

The company has said the funds will help it accelerate its mission to close the global connectivity gap by bringing 5G broadband service from space to billions of people worldwide.

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Alongside the $155 million strategic investment, the company also plans to draw an additional $51.5 million from its existing senior-secured credit facility.

The industry giants join the likes of Rakuten and Nokia who helped the company make the first-ever 5G connection for voice and data between an unmodified smartphone, alongside existing investor Vodafone.

Alongside the new investors American Tower and Bell Canada have also backed AST SpaceMobile as part owners, technology partners and customers.

AST SpaceMobile CEO and Chairman Abel Avellan said: “Our vision at AST SpaceMobile has always been to chart a course of collaborative innovation and integration with the world’s leading wireless companies, which is why we are so thrilled to be welcoming this new strategic investment from AT&T, Google and Vodafone.”

“Each new partnership signifies that market leaders worldwide have tremendous confidence in our vision and ability to ensure that the future of cellular broadband is borderless.”

Vodafone Group CEO, Margherita Della Valle, continued: “Vodafone’s investment and collaboration with AST SpaceMobile will help make our mobile connectivity services available everywhere for our customers across Europe and Africa.

“Customers in remote rural areas, on land or out at sea, will be able to benefit from fast and reliable 5G broadband directly to their existing smartphones without the need for specialist equipment.”

Alongside the funding, Vodafone and AT&T have also placed purchase orders for network equipment from AST SpaceMobile to support planned commercial service.

AT&T EVP and Head of Network, Chris Sambar, concluded: “We’re excited to deepen our relationship with this investment as we continue to drive a first-of-its-kind innovation forward and work together to achieve this shared vision of space-based connectivity for consumers, businesses and first responders all around the globe.”

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Nokia has revealed it is no longer expecting to hit its outlook for its 2023 financial full year due to renewal discussions continuing to drag on well into 2024.

The telecoms giant which is due to report its fourth quarter and full-year financials on 25 January, has said due to outstanding licence renewals in Nokia Technologies, which is expected to conclude last year, its net sales, comparable operating margin and free cash flow targets for the year won’t be met.

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In a statement, the mobile giant said: “While there have been intense negotiations between the relevant parties and courts around the world have found in Nokia’s favour, the company will prioritise protecting the value of its patent portfolio versus achieving certain timelines for resolution.”

Regarding its Q4 performance net sales “are expected to demonstrate a significant improvement sequentially.”

The company added: “The quarter has proved somewhat more challenging than expected given ongoing customer spending constraints and the recently communicated customer purchasing decision.

“Profitability in Nokia’s networks businesses is however expected to remain solidly within the comparable operating margin assumptions the company had previously communicated.”

The news comes as Nokia recently revealed it has lowered its comparable operating margin target to at least 13% by 2026 compared to a previous figure of 14%.

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Nokia has announced it is selling its device management and service management business to Lumine Group for £160 million.

The acquisition includes a payment of up to £30 million based on the business’s performance in the first year after the sale.

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The two platforms are primarily the result of previous acquisitions by mobile giant, namely Motive and mFormation.

Following the acquisition, the group will restore the Motive brand as the new corporate entity for the Device Management and Service Management Platform solutions as a stand-alone business unit within Lumine Group.

As a result, around 500 employees from Nokia’s Device Management and Service Management Platform will transfer to Lumine Group.

This transaction is expected to close in Q1 2024 and is subject to customary closing conditions.

Lumine Group Group President David Sharpley said: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Device Management and Service Management Platform customers and employees to Lumine.

“As experienced corporate carve-out acquirers, our priority is to partner with Nokia to ensure a seamless transition and operational continuity for all customers.”

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