As Vodafone awaits the fate of its proposed acquisition of Liberty Global’s European cable assets, both companies are looking to take advantage of the shifting telecoms landscape by streamlining operations, exploring bolt-on M&A and charting 5G plans. The British telecoms giant faces significant regulatory hurdles in its proposed €18.4bn (US$21.8bn) takeover of Liberty Global's operations in Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. While the deal is expected to eventually gain approval, industry analysts have cautioned that the...

Viasat yesterday announced the acquisition of UK-based Horsebridge Defence and Security amid speculation that the US satellite operator could approach Inmarsat after its recent rejection of a takeover bid from EchoStar. Viasat could consider a deal for Inmarsat to stop…

Teleport owners give increasingly high marks to the performance of satellite operators, as they spend less overall on increasingly cheap satellite capacity, a recent World Teleport Association benchmark study found. This year, the survey asked respondents about their assessment of eight global and regional satellite operators, including…

The satellite sector is awash with speculation that a wave of consolidation could follow US fleet operator EchoStar’s approach across the pond for its UK peer Inmarsat. But the takeover that Inmarsat rejected appears to mainly be about spectrum. In particular, the...

A federal judge cleared the way for US telco AT&T’s blockbuster merger with Time Warner, rejecting antitrust concerns raised by the US government and setting the stage for a flurry of deal-making in the tech, media and telecoms sectors. The US$84.5bn cash-and-stock deal will create a vertically integrated TMT powerhouse, combining Time Warner and its vast trove of properties, which include cable TV unit CNN and premium pay channel HBO, with AT&T, the parent company of satellite TV broadcaster DirecTV. US District Court Judge Richard Leon issued a “sound and proper rejection” of...

Intelsat plans to raise at least US$550m in a stock and convertible debt offering, a move that will help pay down the satellite operator’s sizeable debt load while adjusting its complex capital structure. Proceeds are set to be given to a new wholly owned...

Verizon’s surprise choice of former Ericsson chief Hans Vestberg to lead the US telecoms giant signals the importance it has placed on network dominance, even as rivals pursue blockbuster M&A deals. Vestberg, who has been with Verizon for about one year, has been “an architect” of the telco’s 5G strategy, a company spokesperson told Connectivity Business. “Look for a continuation of...

CHICAGO / NEW YORK / LONDON / SAN FRANCISCO: Connectivity Business today announced speakers and panelists for the Investment Conference in Chicago. This interdisciplinary conference will address the critical financial and business issues impacting the global connectivity industry and explore opportunities in the private and public equity and debt capital markets for investment in this fast-growing sector.