Monday Roundup: AT&T, Elite, CityFibre, T-Mobile

Cooler weather is said to be on the way for us here, hope that’s true elsewhere.  Here’s a quick summary of a few things from over the weekend:

AT&T is looking to Microsoft in a new multi-year alliance for cloud, AI, and 5G. Microsoft will be helping them consolidate data center operations, moving non-network loads into Azure over the next 4 years or so. Like every mobile operator out there, AT&T is preparing its infrastructure and operations for the rollout of real 5G services over the next few years. The deal could be worth $2B over time according to reports.

The UK service provider Elite Limited’s dark fiber plans are broadening. The Portsmouth-based company has expanded its Ethernet Fibre reach into the markets of Birmingham and Manchester. In addition the company is partnering with Netgear, which will be supplying mesh Wi-Fi gear to channel partners to go along with new sales.

Also over in the UK, CityFibre is preparing a new fiber rollout initiative. They have another 14 markets targeted for expansion outward from the company’s networks: Batley, Bradford, Derby, Dewsbury, Doncaster, Inverness, Ipswich, Leicester, Lowestoft, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Rotherham, Slough, Swindon and Worthing. The projects will bring another 1M households within reach.

And what everyone is waiting for this week is the potential resolution of the T-Mobile/Sprint saga. While they could postpone the upcoming deadline, there’s only so much more maneuvering and negotiating that can be done before a decision gets made. The demands of regulators have led to a variety of creative plans to keep 4 providers in the market while still allowing the merger, but it’s not clear that such plans will make everyone happy enough for the deal to go through. Reports suggest that DT may be ready to throw in the towel on the whole thing, but that too could be a negotiating position.  Yet it seems most likely to me right now that the deal is on its last legs.

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Categories: Cloud Computing · FTTH · Mergers and Acquisitions · Metro fiber · Wireless