• Ericsson appoints new head of Europe and LatAm
• Millicom is in takeover talks
• AST SpaceMobile set for trials in Brazil

In today’s industry news roundup: Ericsson has appointed a new boss for its business in Europe and Latin America; Millicom has confirmed it’s involved in M&A discussions; TIM Brasil is the latest operator to try out AST SpaceMobile’s satellite-to-smartphone services; and more!

Ericsson has appointed Jenny Lindqvist as its new head of market area Europe & Latin America with effect from 1 February. She is currently head of northern and central Europe within the Europe and Latin America unit. “I am very pleased to welcome Jenny as a member of the executive team,” noted Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm. “Jenny takes on this role at a pivotal time for Ericsson and the industry as we drive towards realising the full potential of 5G technology by solidifying our leadership position in mobile networks. Under Jenny’s leadership and leveraging her commercial and operations experience, I see an opportunity for Ericsson to further grow and shape the future of our business in Europe and Latin America with our leading customers," he added. Lindqvist, who has been at Ericsson since 2010, succeeds Stefan Koetz, who stepped into the role as acting head of the unit in July 2022, after the previous head of Europe and Latin America, Arun Bansal, left last Spring to become CEO of Adani Airports in India. Koetz will become head of strategic projects for market area Europe and Latin America.

Millicom, which provides mobile and fixed broadband services under the Tigo brand in nine Latin American markets, is in talks with private equity firm Apollo Global Management and the Claure Group, an investment firm founded by former Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure, about a potential acquisition. Millicom has confirmed that talks are underway following speculation in the business press, which claimed the telco had been valued at about $10bn (including debt). Millicom, with an annual revenue run rate of between $5bn and $6bn, has seen its share price jump by more than 23% since the speculation first emerged on Wednesday, and it currently stands at $18.25 on the Nasdaq exchange.

AST SpaceMobile, which is building a global low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation that can connect directly with standard smartphones, has struck a deal with TIM Brasil that will enable the Latin American telco division of Telecom Italia (TIM) to test the satellite firm’s technology to see if it can deliver 4G voice and data services in remote areas of the country. “The agreement with AST SpaceMobile complements important ongoing initiatives to promote more digital inclusion as it will allow TIM to take 4G to isolated areas, districts, villages, roads, resorts and tourist spots that today are not served by other operators,” noted TIM Brasil’s director of network development, Marco Di Costanzo, in a statement about the agreement. The tests are set to start in the north and north-east regions of Brazil during the first half of this year. 

It’s not easy being green… Microsoft has come under fire in the US for being too woke by offering software updates that help to reduce Xbox power consumption. According to The Washington Post, climate change deniers in the US have “lashed out” at the move, accusing Microsoft of attempting to “recruit kids into climate change politics”. The updates merely set out to save Xbox users’ money on their electricity bills by doing things like scheduling software updates for when renewable sources are generating most of the power. In any case, says Microsoft, users can switch back if they want to. 

- The staff, TelecomTV