Phone companies are scrapping plans to sell Huawei handsets as the impact of a US supply ban spreads, threatening to impede the Chinese technology giant’s global smartphone ambitions.
In this episode of the podcast, Duncan McLeod interviews IoT.nxt co-founder and CEO Nico Steyn about the recently announced acquisition by Vodacom Group of 51% of the company.
Vodacom Group parent Vodafone Group’s dividend has cracked under the strain of falling revenue, soaring spectrum costs and a $21-billion acquisition, in a grim reality check for Europe’s struggling phone industry.
Vodacom Group has updated its profit outlook on the back of the acquisition of East Africa’s largest mobile phone company that’s helping it push into financial services.
Vodafone Group has acknowledged that it found vulnerabilities going back years – and subsequently resolved – with equipment supplied by Huawei for the carrier’s Italian business.
While its competitors are given the benefit of the doubt when their products are found vulnerable, Huawei is held to impossible standards for political reasons.
A group representing top US mobile service providers disagreed with European and Asian counterparts over alleged security threats from Chinese equipment maker Huawei ahead of a conference that will highlight a US-Europe divide on the issue.
China’s foreign minister has urged countries not to use “fabricated” excuses to block Huawei, as Vodafone Group joined a list of companies that are shunning the telecommunications equipment supplier.
Vodafone Group has suspended purchases of equipment from Huawei for the core of its wireless networks. However, it’s not immediately clear how this affects Vodacom, which is controlled by Vodafone.
Vodacom Group shares fell after the wireless carrier with the most South African customers reported slower revenue growth in its domestic market, as a sluggish economy hurt consumer spending.