Asia Pacific Operators November 4, 2020 Network expansion hits Globe bottom-line Globe Telecom suffered a double-digit profit decline in the first three quarters of 2020, as pandemic lockdown measures in the Philippines slowed subscriber acquisition and its aggressive network investment weighed on its bottom-line. By Joseph Waring
Asia Pacific Rakuten November 4, 2020 Japan’s disruptor Rakuten ups ante with fresh fee cuts Disruptive Japanese operator Rakuten Mobile raised the stakes in its low-cost push by eliminating contract sign-up and cancellation fees and introducing a secure AI-based ID verification system. By Joseph Waring
AT&T North America Operators November 4, 2020 AT&T eyes new DirecTV deal option AT&T considered the sale of a minority stake in its family of pay-TV businesses, CNBC reported, appearing to shift strategy after a proposed deal to offload its DirecTV unit alone elicited lowball offers. By Diana Goovaerts
X November 3, 2020 Twitter review board backs Jack A committee formed earlier this year to review Twitter’s management structure ignored investor calls for the removal of CEO Jack Dorsey, but proposed changes to the board structure. By Diana Goovaerts
AI & Cloud November 3, 2020 Pokemon Go shakes off lockdown with record revenue Pokemon Go surpassed its best-ever annual revenue with two months of 2020 still to go, as Covid-19 (coronavirus) lockdowns apparently failed to stem the popularity of the location-based Niantic title. By Yanitsa Boyadzhieva
November 3, 2020 Chinese regulator throws salt on $37B Ant Group IPO A massive IPO by Alipay parent Ant Group was suspended by China’s authorities less than 48 hours before trading was set to begin, on concerns the sale failed to meet regulatory requirements for the Shanghai half of its dual listing. By Chris Donkin
Middle East and North Africa Operators November 3, 2020 Zain focuses on networks to pull through pandemic Kuwait-headquartered Zain Group committed to investments in 4G and 5G to drive growth and minimise the impact of Covid-19 (coronavirus), as the outbreak stemmed growth in the third quarter. By Kavit Majithia