• IPO latest from Dutch telco Odido and India’s Jio
• Starlink gets FCC green light for more Gen2 satellites
• Telefónica and Zain are among the green elite

In today’s industry news roundup: Dutch operator Odido is once again being tipped for an IPO, while excitement is mounting in India that the long-awaited Jio Platforms listing process might soon be launched; LEO satellite operator Starlink gets approval to launch another 7,500 second-generation satellites; AI fever might be pushing green concerns out of the limelight, but telcos are still making great strides to become carbon neutral; and much more!

New year, new Odido initial public offering (IPO) speculation. The Dutch operator (formerly T-Mobile Netherlands), which is a joint venture owned by private equity firms Apax Partners and Warburg Pincus, was tipped to initiate an IPO process a year ago, with several banks signed up to be part of the share sale process, but nothing came of it. Now, according to Bloomberg (subscription required), the owners have revived the plan for a €1bn listing of an unknown portion of its equity on the Amsterdam stock exchange, with the process starting as soon as this month. Odido has about 8 million customers for its mobile and fixed services and is joint mobile market leader (along with KPN) with about a 35% market share. The IPO rumour comes as questions remain about the future ownership of the country’s third main telco, VodafoneZiggo, which is a joint venture of Vodafone Group and Liberty Global, with the latter reportedly considering options for its stake (with an IPO, sale or merger with its Belgian operator Telenet all seen as options). 

Still with telco listing news… Excitement about the long-awaited IPO of Jio Platforms, the tech division of India’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) that boasts the country’s leading telco, Reliance Jio, as the jewel in its crown, is reaching fever pitch. RIL is set to publish its latest earnings report (for the three months that ended 31 December 2025) on 16 January and the expectation is that any major announcement would be made as part of that fiscal update. RIL’s chairman and managing director, Mukesh Ambani, stated at the company’s annual general meeting held in late August last year that the Jio Platforms IPO would take place during the first half of 2026 and now Reuters is reporting that the company is expected to offer up 2.5% of Jio Platforms’ equity in a flotation that would raise about $4bn. This would give Jio Platforms a value of about $160bn, though some are pushing the company to seek a higher return for the listed equity and seek a valuation of more than $200bn. Reliance Jio is India’s leading mobile operator, with 486.1 million connections at the end of November last year for a market share of 41.4%, ahead of Bharti Airtel (33.6% market share, 394.9 million connections), according to the latest statistics from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).  

Meanwhile, India’s third major mobile operator, Vodafone Idea (17% market share, 199.7 million connections), has received some welcome news from the government concerning its tax debts. The cash-constrained telco has been handed a preferential 10-year payment schedule to address the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) payments it still owes, which amount to about 877bn rupees ($9.72bn). The operator has struck a deal that allows it to pay just 1.24bn rupees ($13.8m) for six years starting in 2026 and just 1bn rupees ($11m) a year for the four years after that, a deal that will allow  it to raise capital to invest in its network as it plays 5G catch-up with market leaders Jio and Airtel. Now, though, there are concerns that Vodafone Idea might be hampered in its financial and competitive efforts by spectrum charges that will be payable from the next financial year, which starts in April, reports the Business Standard.   

US regulator Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given approval to SpaceX to deploy another 7,500 second-generation (Gen2) Starlink satellites, doubling the size of Elon Musk’s cluster. The approval will bring the number of Starlink satellites in operation worldwide to 15,000. The US regulator has also given Musk’s company the thumbs up to upgrade the satellites and operate across five frequencies, and is waiving prior requirements that prevented overlapping coverage and enhanced capacity. “This FCC authorisation is a game-changer for enabling next-generation services,” stated FCC chair Brendan Carr. “By authorising 15,000 new and advanced satellites, the FCC has given SpaceX the green light to deliver unprecedented satellite broadband capabilities, strengthen competition, and help ensure that no community is left behind.” SpaceX had initially asked for approval to deploy up to 30,000 satellites, but the FCC said it would defer judgement on the other 15,000 proposed satellites until a later time. The regulator also said SpaceX must launch 50% of the total authorised number of Gen2 satellites, place them in assigned orbits, and operate them by no later than 1 December 2028, while the remaining Gen2 satellites should be launched by December 2031.

Telefónica has once again been recognised by CDP, a non-profit organisation that independently assesses corporate environmental reports, as “a global leader for its action against climate change” by including the Spanish telco in its ‘A list’ of environmentally friendly companies for the 12th consecutive year. Telefónica aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, committing to a 90% reduction and neutralising the remaining emissions: To achieve this, by the end of 2024, Telefónica had reduced all its emissions, including those from the value chain, by 52% and its operational emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 85% globally, the telco noted in this announcement. Maya Ormazabal, chief sustainability officer at Telefónica, stated: “This recognition reflects Telefónica’s solid efforts to strengthen our climate change resilience and contribute to the decarbonisation of the economy by supporting our customers and suppliers. Our goals are not only compatible with network expansion and service quality but also help us to be more competitive and generate new business opportunities. Endeavours in the climate transition must be ambitious, because the green transformation is not a final destination but a continuous path of innovation and collaboration.” 

Middle East and Africa region operator Zain Group also made it onto CDP’s A list. Group CEO Bader Al-Kharafi stated in this announcement: “Addressing climate change should be a key priority for every organisation and everyone living on this planet. Zain acts with the belief that sustainable growth and climate leadership must go hand in hand. As we continue to scale our digital infrastructure across the region in driving meaningful connectivity, we are equally committed to accelerating our transition and reducing emissions throughout our operations to achieve net zero by 2050. We firmly believe this commitment will create value to all our stakeholders.”

Altice owner Patrick Drahi is reportedly once again looking to offload his 50% stake in German fibre broadband network OXG Glasfaser as he aims to reduce his debt levels, currently pegged at about $50bn across his business empire. The Financial Times, citing three unnamed sources, reports that the French-Israeli billionaire sent documents to potential buyers in recent weeks, following failed attempts to find a buyer for OXG last year. One potential hurdle Drahi would need to overcome, though, is getting approval for any such sale from Vodafone Group, with which he partnered to launch the fibre broadband joint venture in 2023. New Street Research estimates the German fibre company would be valued at around €2bn, making Drahi’s stake worth about €1bn. Drahi is also considering the sale of XpFibre in France, a move that could generate as much as €7bn, while the telecom tycoon rejected a €17bn offer for SFR (Altice France) from a trio of French telco rivals in October last year: The expectation is that further discussions will be held by the parties involved during 2026. Drahi, who built up a telecom empire that spanned Portugal, France, Germany and the US, has been saddled with debt for the past few years and has struggled to complete major M&A deals that would help to pay down the debt pile. He also at one point built a 24.5% stake in BT via his Altice UK vehicle, but offloaded that holding in 2024 to giant Indian conglomerate Bharti Enterprises, owned by another telecom billionaire, Sunil Bharti Mittal

The government of Iran has shut down internet access amid major protests across the Middle Eastern country. Iran’s telecommunications industry is almost entirely state-owned, dominated by the Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI), but according to global internet watchdog Netblocks, an internet blackout was first reported on Thursday evening, with all services cut off during the weekend. A statement from the group reads: “Live metrics show Iran is now in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout; the incident follows a series of escalating digital censorship measures targeting protests across the country and hinders the public's right to communicate at a critical moment.” Iranians have still been able to access some internet services using third parties, such as satellite broadband service provider Starlink, but even the SpaceX-owned firm’s services are being impacted, reports the Times of Israel. It comes as rights groups claim at least 500 people have been killed in clashes with police and more than 10,000 arrested as protests demanding the fall of the country’s supreme leader grow.

– The staff, TelecomTV