TELEKOM INFRA
Shibu Varghese , Managing Director & CEO of Telekom Infra talks 5G , the company ’ s T-Mobile carve out , and the future of the European tower-co .
The European telecommunications landscape is changing . As mobile network operators ( MNOs ) increasingly look to transform themselves into tech-focused platform operators - all the while contending with an ongoing industry-wide step change to 5G - independent infrastructure companies are increasingly coming to the fore .
“ Across Europe , the whole telecom infrastructure industry is consolidating ,” says Shibu Varghese , Managing Director and CEO of Telekom Infra , the Netherlands ’ largest tower-co , following its carve-out from T-Mobile Netherlands in 2019 , and which recently merged with the infrastructure business belonging to Cellnex . “ You can see this trend with the Cellnex-Deutsche Telekom merger , as well as with Vantage
Towers ( which are part of Vodafone ) doing a similar kind of thing ,” Varghese continues .
Varghese joined Telekom Infra to oversee the company ’ s carve out from T-Mobile Netherlands two years ago . “ It ’ s been a rollercoaster ride - building up a new network with a totally independent mindset ,” he reflects . From building a team and reinventing an IT stack , to building new relationships with a host of key partners , Varghese and the rest of Telekom Infra have accomplished a lot in the past 24 months . They now find themselves once again at the start of another exciting journey as the Cellnex merger creates new synergies and opportunities to expand , and the Netherlands braces for the next stage of the 5G boom .
106 November 2021