What’s up with… Telefónica, Jio Platforms, Vonage

• Telefónica signs renewable energy deal
• Jio Platforms attracts further investments
• Vonage has a new CEO

Telefónica’s ongoing sustainability efforts and news of yet more investor interest in India’s Jio Platforms get the ball rolling in this bag of news morsels.

• Following its pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030, Telefónica has struck a 10-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for renewable energy with ACCIONA, a Spanish company focused on developing sustainable solutions for industry. ACCIONA will provide clean energy to the operator’s data processing facilities, offices and other staff facilities across Spain.
• Another day, another investment in India’s Jio Platforms, which counts mobile operator Reliance Jio among its assets.  This time it’s the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) that is taking a stake in the company, splashing INR56.835 billion ($753 million) on a 1.16% stake. In addition, private equity firm Silver Lake has increased its investment, pumping a further INR45.47 billion ($602 million) into the company to up its holding to 2.08%. ADIA joins Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR and Mubadala as recent investors in Jio Platforms, which has raised $12.96 billion from those investors since late April.
• Cloud-based unified communications service provider Vonage has named Rory Read as its new CEO. Read, who joins from Dell Technologies, starts in the role on July 1, replacing Alan Masarek. Vonage recently reported first quarter revenues of $297 million, up by just 6% from a year earlier and down from the previous quarter's sales, while other conferencing services companies reported much stronger growth.
• Ericsson says it's been doing well in China, having scored 5G deals with all three major network operators, but that the initial costs of winning and fulfilling those deals, plus a SEK 1 billion ($108.6 million) write-down of pre-commercial product stocks, will hit its margins during the current quarter. However, the vendor notes that its full year financial targets remain unchanged, despite the costs associated with winning business in China.
• After a process that lasted only a few hours, Telia, Elisa and DNA have each picked up licenses for 800 MHz of capacity in the 26 GHz band that can be used for 5G services. Each operator will pay just €7 million for their license, enabling them to channel their capital into their networks and services rather than into the Finnish government's coffers.
• Meanwhile, France is aiming to start its 5G spectrum auction in September, according to Reuters.
• Synamedia, the video software company formed when private equity firm Permira acquired Cisco’s video assets, has teamed up with Amazon Web Services (AWS) “to accelerate the adoption of cloud TV services.” Synamedia already has a couple of customers using its AWS-hosted video platform to deliver commercial services.
• Test and measurement systems specialist Spirent has been highlighting the role it has played in the development of Rakuten Mobile’s 4G and 5G networks.
• Mavenir has struck agreements with two systems integrators, General Datatech (GDT) and Goodman Networks, to deliver OpenRAN solutions to US network operators.
• MEF says eight operators, including AT&T, Colt, PCCW Global, Telecom Italia’s Sparkle and Telefónica International Wholesale Services, are on course to have deployed MEF 3.0 LSO Sonata APIs to automate ordering of MEF 3.0 Carrier Ethernet Access E-Line services by the end of June.
• Middle East regional network operator Kalaam Telecom is to use Ciena technology to build Kalaam Network Optical Transit (KNOT), a new 1,400km network that will provide terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East and into North Africa. 

- The staff, TelecomTV