EuroTelcoblog Saturday omnibus

Where to begin? Most exciting, Palladium Club charter member Sam Critchley, whose A2B location-based search engine I have mentioned occasionally in this bloglet, has gotten a nice write-up on Reuters. Way to go Sam!

Another mega-uber value reader notes that KPN's AGM is looming next week, and on the agenda is the formal elimination of the Golden Share (this is already a done deal in practice). He also cites a spike in call option volumes yesterday as a sign that speculation is reaching fever pitch.

A Prix D'Or hyper-valeur reader in France reminds me that I failed to remark on the France wireless 2.0 developments by Iliad, and coverage in Les Echos (get out your French phrase book and wallet) points to some uncertainties over coverage and subscriber outlay (EUR100 for CPE is mentioned, but this is speculative). I like the reader's summation: "But if it turns out to be serious, it’s going to a big mess in France, among ISPs and mobile operators…"

A Platinum Class mega-value reader in the Netherlands points to coverage in yesterday's Financieele Dagblad relating to potential options for Orange in the Dutch market. I can't find a link, and the site is mostly locked down anyway. According to my trusted reader, the Orange MD in the country, when asked to identify preferable merger partners, replied, "That's not on the agenda and wouldn't be my decision. But I would prefer UPC. They have many customers and their television gives them a stable cashflow and a product we don't have." Interesting, as Orange Switzerland has previously been linked to speculation about a tie-up with Cablecom, now also part of the Malone juggernaut.

Reuters yesterday ran a story about yet another denial by Mediaset of an impending merger with Telecom Italia (which we first got wind of last month in Il Sole 24 Ore). Then again, if Mr. Berlusconi gets un-elected and heads off to the pokey I wonder how things change? I think the DSL/DTT fusion is a powerful one.