What’s up with… Tele2, FCC, AT&T

• Tele2 promotes Nicholas Högberg to CEO role
• FCC approves Echostar’s $40bn spectrum licence sales
• AT&T teams up with Lexus

In today’s industry news roundup: Tele2’s deputy CEO is stepping up to the top role at the European operator; the US regulator approves the conditional sale of Echostar spectrum licences to AT&T and SpaceX; AT&T strikes a 5G partnership with carmaker Lexus; and much more!

Tele2, which has operations in Sweden and the Baltics, has appointed Nicholas Högberg as its CEO with effect from 1 July. Högberg, who is currently deputy CEO and chief commercial officer of B2C, will take over from Jean Marc Harion, who is stepping down from the CEO role he has held since late 2024 for personal reasons, though Harion plans to retain a seat on the Tele2 board. “I am thrilled and deeply grateful to take on the role of president and CEO of Tele2,” noted Högberg, whose previous roles include nine years at rival mobile operator 3 Sweden (including four years as its CEO). “Through my time as deputy CEO and previously on the board of directors of Tele2, I have gained a deep understanding of the company and of our people. Tele2 stands out as a benchmark in the telecom industry and carries a distinctive challenger spirit. We will harness that drive to further develop our strong brand, keep elevating the customer experience and unlock new avenues for growth.” Tele2 recently reported a 3% like-for-like increase in first-quarter revenues to 7.2bn Swedish krona ($772m).  

US regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given approval for the acquisition by SpaceX and AT&T of EchoStar spectrum licences in separate deals that together are worth some $40bn – but there is a catch. EchoStar reached a $23bn deal to sell 50MHz of its nationwide spectrum to AT&T for use in its 5G network (details here), and agreed a separate $17bn deal to sell 65 MHz of spectrum to SpaceX for use in its Starlink device-to-device offering (as reported here), subject to regulatory approval, which has now been granted. In their deal, EchoStar and AT&T agreed to create a hybrid mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) to support Dish Network (now known as Boost Mobile), but the FCC also imposed conditions that require EchoStar to establish an escrow account of $2.4bn that would cover any payouts the satellite firm may eventually face from potential disputes related to its previous licence commitments. In a statement, EchoStar acknowledged the approvals but also labelled the conditions as “an unprecedented involuntary escrow condition” that would require further assessment from the company. One potential dispute is with the Wireless Infrastructure Association, which did not oppose the deal but filed to the FCC for the creation of the escrow fund (a trust account where a third party holds on to assets until certain conditions are met).

Turning to AT&T’s internet of things (IoT) arm now, it has announced a partnership with Lexus that will see its 5G network integrated with the carmaker’s multimedia interface system, supporting in-car Wi-Fi hotspots, real-time navigation and over-the-air updates. AT&T Connected Solutions will debut its AT&T Connected Car solution on the new 2026 Lexus ES model, before it is rolled out to future models. It will also support a new voice assistant, which is built into the updated Lexus Interface multimedia system, and support Wi-Fi connectivity for up to five devices. For AT&T, it follows a similar partnership announced with Toyota back in October 2025. The US telco giant has also worked with Lexus in the past, and counts several other automotive manufacturers among its partners, including Audi, BMW, Fiat and Jaguar Land Rover.

The proposed radio access network (RAN) sharing agreement between Telecom Italia (TIM) and rival Fastweb + Vodafone has been left in limbo after Italy’s antitrust watchdog launched an investigation into the deal, reports Reuters (subscription required). In January, the two operators announced plans to team up to develop 5G sites that would cover around 60% of Italy’s population, but the deal was subject to approval from the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy (MIMIT), the Italian Communications Authority (AGCOM), and the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM). However, AGCM has cited concerns that it might harm competition. The regulator highlighted TIM’s and Fastweb+Vodafone’s market shares in wholesale and retail mobile networks, pointing out that the pair would have a combined share of more than 80% of wholesale access, as well as concerns over the combined spectrum holdings of the two potential partners. AGCM has given TIM and Fastweb + Vodafone 60 days to respond to its concerns, but warned its investigation could run until April 2027.

BT International, the branch of the UK national telco that is currently seeking a new investor/partner/owner now that BT Group is firmly focused on its UK operations, is leveraging its international voice platform to launch a managed unified communication service aimed at multinational businesses. UC Edge is a single, cloud-based solution for voice and collaboration services on multiple platforms, which BT claims enables sovereignty, compliance and regulatory alignment across every market, while bringing a consistent, resilient voice layer across sprawling enterprises. The platform’s features include intelligent voice routing, vendor-agnostic interoperability and the ability to scale without rebuilding infrastructure. BT International’s Global Voice platform spans more than 70 countries and the operator claims this new service – which is already live – will help enterprises tackle complexities related to AI adoption in the workplace.

Telekom Slovenije has switched on Slovenia’s first 5G standalone (5G SA) service after completing a modernisation of its network in partnership with Ericsson. Its 5G SA network uses Ericsson’s 5G radio access network (RAN) and a full-stack core network, which includes the Swedish vendor’s dual-mode 5G Core solution and cloud-native infrastructure solution. Telekom Slovenije also implemented Ericsson’s Cloud Core Exposure Server for its network exposure function, opening it up to a range of API-powered network capabilities. The 5G SA network will allow Telekom Slovenije to launch differentiated connectivity products through network slicing, fixed wireless access, voice over new radio, and additional services aimed at enterprise sectors, including transport, logistics and public safety, according to the operator.

– The staff, TelecomTV