What’s up with… BT, Nokia & DT, T-Mobile US

• Marc Allera is the latest BT exec heading for the exit door
• Nokia cements Open RAN role at Deutsche Telekom
• T-Mobile US and Starlink get direct-to-cell clearance from the FCC

In today’s industry news roundup: BT’s CEO Allison Kirkby continues to revamp her top team; Nokia is confirmed as the lead vendor partner for Deutsche Telekom’s Open RAN rollout; the FCC gives the OK to T-Mobile US direct-to-cell services; and much more

Marc Allera, the CEO of BT Group’s Consumer division (which offers its services using the EE brand), is slowly heading for the exit door at the UK telco’s headquarters following the announcement that he will leave at the end of March next year and be replaced by Claire Gillies, who will join BT’s executive committee on 10 December and work alongside Allera as part of an “orderly transition process”. The very amiable Allera, who has been with BT for nine years, noted he is “proud to have led an incredible team through enormous change in the market” and to have been part of “the evolution of the company for the past nine years”. “In that time, we have transformed every aspect of our operations to deliver great service to our 25 million customers across the UK, with everything they need for our fast-moving world of technology. We’ve created a fantastic platform for growth, and I wish Claire the very best for the future.” That platform for growth includes what Allera dubbed the ‘New EE’, which he launched in October 2023 and which hinges on a single digital location (a super app) that offers a broad range of products and services from EE and third parties. Gillies (pictured above) boasts more than 23 years of experience in the telecom sector, having worked at Bell Canada since 2000 in a variety of senior leadership roles: Most recently, she was president of Bell Canada’s Wireless and Consumer Divisions, where she ran a business with more than 20 million customers and 8,000 staff that generated CAN$14bn (£8bn) in annual revenues. The management change marks the latest move by CEO Allison Kirkby, who took over the reins in February this year, to revamp BT’s top team as she implements a new strategy that focuses primarily on the UK market and cutting costs. In the past few months, Kirkby has added Tom Meakin, a former partner at consultancy McKinsey, as chief strategy and change officer and has said goodbye to chief digital and innovation officer Harmeen Mehta. Industry analyst Paolo Pescatore, founder of PP Foresight, noted in his LinkedIn post about Allera’s departure that the news should “not come as a huge surprise as it has been on the cards for some time. Arguably there is not much left for him to do. He has successfully managed numerous transitions of brands and platforms, most recently spearheading the New EE as the consumer-facing brand for the company… the unit is in a far better position” and will require only “tweaks here and there for the successor.” Gillies, of course, may disagree… While Pescatore wonders in his blog about where Allera might turn up next, others might be wondering about the next change to BT’s management team. 

Nokia has cemented its role as the lead vendor partner for Deutsche Telekom’s Open RAN rollout, which will cover at least 3,000 sites by 2027. The Finnish vendor said it is providing “equipment from its O-RAN-compliant 5G AirScale portfolio powered by its energy-efficient ReefShark System-on-Chip technology, including modular, high-capacity baseband solutions and high-performance Habrok massive MIMO radios for premium coverage and capacity,” as well as its “intelligent AI-powered MantaRay NM solution for improved network monitoring and management and… AI-based services, including digital deployment, optimisation, and technical support.” Nokia also noted that the deal “formally marks” its return as a supplier to DT in Germany and will see it “replace the incumbent vendor in the area covered in the agreement.” That incumbent vendor is Huawei. Nokia is providing most, but not all, of the technology for the rollout: The other vendor supplier is Fujitsu, which is providing mid-band radios that will work with Nokia’s virtualised RAN software. The formal deal suggests that Nokia and Fujitsu have been meeting DT’s needs since they started deploying Open RAN gear in the German telco’s network late last year – see DT kickstarts its Open RAN rollout with Nokia, Fujitsu. Abdu Mudesir, group CTO and managing director of technology for Germany at Deutsche Telekom, pretty much confirmed that by noting: “This deal is further evidence of our significant commitment to multivendor Open RAN and ensuring we have greater supplier choice for radio access networks. The network performance in the already implemented area is delivering the best customer experience. And now, together with Nokia, we look forward to scaling up Open RAN in Germany.”

US regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given a conditional green light to T-Mobile US and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite player Starlink (part of Elon Musk’s SpaceX) to provide mobile service coverage from space using T-Mobile US’s spectrum, provided it doesn’t interfere with other networks, reports Reuters. T-Mobile US is determined to beat its rivals, Verizon and AT&T, in providing services in areas without traditional mobile network coverage. 

– The staff, TelecomTV