• Swisscom, Telefónica Germany land on Ciena’s Blue Planet
• Vodafone needs a new CFO
• Another fintech launches an MVNO in Germany

In today’s industry news roundup: Ciena’s Blue Planet secures deals with Swisscom and Telefónica Germany to modernise their network and automation assurance into a single service; Vodafone bids farewell to its CFO, Luka Mucic; fintech N26 launches mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) services in Germany; and more!

Ciena’s Blue Planet division, which develops automation software for network operators, has landed two new deals at European telcos. Swisscom is using the vendor’s Unified Assurance and Analytics (UAA) software, which it previously deployed in its datacentre infrastructure, to help modernise the telco’s “assurance systems and processes into a unified solution optimised for managing dynamic, real-time services,” noted Blue Planet in this announcement. The software will “serve as Swisscom’s assurance platform for fault and performance management across multiple domains, beginning with access and transport, then extending to mobile backhaul and business-to-business (B2B) services.” Thomas Zippo, product manager for observability shared services at Swisscom, noted: “With our rapid network transformation over the past few years, our legacy service assurance platform could no longer support the more flexible services we plan to deliver to our consumer and enterprise customers. Blue Planet’s UAA gives us a modern, cloud-ready assurance solution optimised for managing dynamic services, closed-loop automation and delivering a better customer experience.” Blue Planet’s other new deal is at Telefónica Germany, which is “building one of Europe’s first public cloud-based platforms for network automation and 5G monetisation” with the vendor’s Inventory, Orchestration and 5G Network Slicing applications. “We are pioneering new, cloud-based networks for the next stage of our digital transformation,” stated Matthias Sauder, director of networks at Telefónica Germany, in this announcement. “This provides the ideal basis for offering our customers a consistently first-class network experience. By leveraging 5G-Advanced features, we have enabled dynamic network slicing and modernised RAN and transport lifecycle management – enhancing both our fixed and wireless business offerings.” Eva Ulicevic, director of architecture, strategy and analytics at Telefónica Germany, added: “Blue Planet enables us to manage and orchestrate our network resources across the radio access network, transport and core in real time. We are starting the next level of effectiveness in our development and operational processes. The future-proof software platform makes the implementation of new features much faster. Combined with an agile way of working, we were able to receive first deliveries with measurable positive impact on our processes – and this was only a few months after our project started.”

Vodafone Group’s CFO, Luka Mucic, is leaving the telco giant to become the CEO at German real estate company Vonovia SE: He will leave no later than early 2026. “Over the last two years, Vodafone has undergone a wide-reaching transformation programme to reshape our portfolio, simplify our organisation, and refocus on our customers and operational excellence,” noted Mucic. The operator’s CEO, Margherita Della Valle, who was the CFO prior to Mucic’s appointment in September 2023, thanked Mucic for his “commitment to Vodafone during this first stage of our transformation. During his time with us he has played a key part in resetting our capital allocation priorities and enhancing our focus on operational excellence.” A “rigorous search is being conducted” for a replacement, noted Vodafone. Mucic will help Della Valle present the telcos’ full fiscal year results on 20 May. 

The mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) sector is on fire right now! Following swiftly on the heels of fellow fintech firm Revolut, German financial services firm N26, which provides “simple, secure and customer-friendly mobile banking to millions of customers in 24 markets across Europe,” has announced its entry into the German mobile services sector as an MVNO riding on Vodafone Germany’s network. The company has launched the N26 SIM which, as an eSIM, has been “specifically designed for customers who value maximum flexibility and attractive pricing,” it stated in this announcement. “Offering digitally activated mobile plans on Vodafone Germany’s powerful 5G network, N26 SIM delivers a seamless user experience – entirely without a physical SIM card. Thanks to modern eSIM technology, N26 SIM mobile plans can be activated directly in the N26 app – quickly, effortlessly, without paperwork, and without the need to visit a local telco store. All plans come with unlimited national calls and text messages, as well as free EU and EEA [European Economic Area] roaming.” Its plans start at €13.99 per month for 10 Gbytes of data. Valentin Stalf, founder and CEO of N26, stated: “With N26 SIM, we’ll offer flexible and affordable mobile plans that can be activated straight in our app with just a few taps. Together with our network operator Vodafone, our customers can be connected through one of the best mobile networks in Germany, setting new standards in the telecommunications sector.” Marcel de Groot, CEO of Vodafone Germany, added: “Over the past years, we’ve made significant investments in expanding our mobile network and enhancing our infrastructure to be especially attractive for partners. By collaborating with leading innovation partners in Germany, we also strengthen our position as a frontrunner in digitalisation. Our network provides millions of people with high-speed, reliable connectivity for their digital everyday lives, and this will also benefit N26’s customers going forward.” The news comes only days after Revolut announced its plans to launch as an MVNO in the UK and Germany and as a new report provided some insights into why MVNOs are continuing to attract more and more customers even when their service performance metrics are poorer than those provided to customers served directly by the host mobile network operators (MNOs) – see Speed squeeze not an issue for MVNOs, finds report.

The new slimline Telecom Italia (TIM) has reported first-quarter group revenues of €3.3bn, up by 2.7% year on year, while group service revenues rose by 3.3% to €3.1bn. Group earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 5.7% to €1bn. For the full details, see this announcement. 

– The staff, TelecomTV