Vladislav Zaimov is a seasoned expert in the telecommunications field, specializing in enterprise networks and the risk management of critical infrastructure. His insights offer a deep dive into the strategic shifts reshaping the European telecom landscape. We explored the operational drivers behind major network overhauls, the complex realities of migrating from copper to fiber, and the market-altering potential of industry consolidation. The conversation also touched on how cutting-edge technology is empowering small businesses, the rise of hybrid connectivity solutions for improved reliability, and the societal and practical challenges of regulating social media access for minors.
Proximus is migrating its entire customer base to Nokia’s converged charging platform on a private cloud. What are the key operational benefits of a single charging system for both fixed and mobile services, and how does using Red Hat OpenShift support network automation and scaling?
Moving to a single, converged charging platform is a game-changer for an operator like Proximus. The immediate benefit is a massive simplification of their backend systems. Instead of juggling separate platforms for fixed and mobile billing, they get one unified view of the customer. This drastically reduces operational complexity, cuts down on maintenance costs, and makes it much easier to create bundled service packages. From a customer perspective, it means a single, coherent bill and more innovative service offers. The decision to run this on their own cloud using Red Hat OpenShift is key to their long-term strategy. OpenShift, being a Kubernetes-based platform, is built for automation and agility. It allows Proximus to manage their software applications efficiently, scale services up or down based on real-time demand, and push out updates much faster, ensuring the network is not just efficient but also incredibly responsive to market changes.
Germany’s proposed copper-to-fiber migration requires 80% FTTH availability and a wholesale offer before a shutdown can be initiated. Could you detail the main challenges for network operators in meeting these specific preconditions, and what impact might the 24-month marketing stop have on their business?
Germany’s approach, while logical, presents some formidable hurdles for operators. The first major challenge is achieving that 80% FTTH availability threshold. This is a massive capital expenditure. It’s not just about laying fiber in dense urban areas; it’s about reaching a high percentage of premises, which involves significant civil engineering and logistical complexity. Secondly, creating an “appropriate” wholesale offer is a delicate balancing act. Operators must design a framework that is attractive to third-party providers while still allowing for a return on their enormous investment. The 24-month marketing stop on copper is particularly tough. It effectively freezes a significant revenue stream for two years before the switch-off, creating a challenging transition period. This “lame duck” phase for copper services forces operators to manage declining legacy assets while simultaneously funding the massive fiber rollout, putting immense pressure on their financial models.
With Liberty Global reportedly in advanced talks to purchase Three Ireland, how might this consolidation of a fixed-line provider and a mobile operator reshape the Irish telecom market? Please explain the potential impact on service bundling, pricing, and overall market competition.
This potential merger is a classic fixed-mobile convergence play and would significantly alter the competitive dynamics in Ireland. Liberty Global, through Virgin Media, is a strong fixed-line player, while Three Ireland is a major mobile operator. Combining them creates a powerful, fully-converged competitor capable of offering seamless bundles of home broadband, TV, and mobile services under one roof. For consumers, this could initially mean more attractive “quad-play” offers and promotional pricing as the new entity tries to capture market share. However, in the long term, reducing the number of major players from three to two in certain segments could lessen competitive pressure, potentially leading to price increases or less innovation. Regulators will be watching very closely to ensure the deal doesn’t create a duopoly that harms consumer choice.
CityFibre is using a 10G XGS-PON upgrade to expand its FTTP services to over 4.5 million small businesses. Can you walk us through the technical advantages of this technology and explain how it specifically addresses the connectivity and bandwidth demands of the small business sector?
The move to 10G XGS-PON is a crucial step for CityFibre in targeting the small business market. The primary advantage is the massive increase in symmetrical bandwidth. Unlike older technologies that often had much slower upload speeds, XGS-PON offers multi-gigabit speeds both for downloading and uploading. For a small business, this is transformational. It means they can effortlessly handle cloud-based applications, run their own servers, manage large data transfers, and support high-quality video conferencing without any bottlenecks. This technology also provides a much more stable and reliable connection than older copper-based services, which is critical for business continuity. By deploying this upgrade across its footprint to reach over 4.5 million premises, CityFibre is offering a future-proof, enterprise-grade service that directly meets the growing digital demands of modern businesses, which often require robust connectivity to compete effectively.
Bouygues Telecom is now offering a 5G backup product for fixed-line outages that provides 100GB of data. How does this type of hybrid solution improve reliability for customers, and what metrics would you use to measure its success in preventing service disruptions?
Bouygues Telecom’s Extra Bbox is an elegant solution to a very common problem: fixed-line unreliability. This hybrid approach significantly boosts service resilience. In the past, if your broadband went down, you were completely offline. Now, the system can automatically and seamlessly switch over to the 5G mobile network, keeping the customer connected. For home workers or families dependent on streaming and online services, this is a massive improvement in user experience. To measure its success, I’d look at a few key metrics. First, “uptime percentage”—what percentage of the time are customers with this product actually connected to the internet, regardless of the fixed-line status? Second, I’d track the number of customer support calls related to outages and see if they decrease for users of the Extra Bbox. Finally, customer satisfaction scores and churn rates for subscribers with the backup product would be the ultimate indicators of its value.
The UK government is considering a social media ban for under-16s and is looking at Australia’s model. Based on what you’ve seen, what are the practical enforcement challenges of such a policy, and how might it impact both social media companies and young users?
Enforcing a social media ban for a specific age group is incredibly difficult from a practical standpoint. The primary challenge is age verification. How do you reliably and securely verify the age of every user without creating significant privacy concerns or an overly burdensome process? Kids are notoriously clever at circumventing such restrictions, whether by lying about their birth date or using VPNs. For social media companies, this would require a massive investment in new verification technologies and could expose them to significant liability if their systems fail. For young users, while the intention is to protect them, it could drive their activity onto less-regulated platforms or create a digital divide between them and their peers in other countries. There’s also the risk of a backlash, as many young people use these platforms for positive social connections and creative expression.
What is your forecast for the European telecom market over the next five years?
Over the next five years, I expect the European telecom market to be defined by three key trends: accelerated network convergence, intense infrastructure investment, and a new wave of regulatory scrutiny. We’ll see more mergers like the potential Liberty Global-Three Ireland deal, as operators strive to offer a single, unified service package for home and mobile. The push from copper to fiber will intensify, driven by national strategies like Germany’s, but the huge capital cost will force operators to explore new ownership and investment models. Finally, as digital services become even more central to society, regulators will focus not just on competition, but also on issues like network resilience, data sovereignty, and the societal impact of digital platforms, which will create a more complex operating environment for everyone involved.
