Kyivstar's $50m GigaCloud deal leads EMEA telecom roundup

By Amara Osei

Ukraine's Kyivstar has agreed to acquire cloud infrastructure provider GigaCloud for around $50 million. Based on unaudited accounts, GigaCloud generated about $14 million in revenue and $4.7 million in EBITDA in 2025.

What does Kyivstar gain from GigaCloud?

Kyivstar says GigaCloud brings cloud know-how, a strong enterprise customer base and infrastructure spanning Ukraine and Poland. The operator expects the deal to strengthen its technology offer to large businesses and public institutions, reinforce its position in “sovereign” cloud infrastructure and create a platform for AI-enabled services.

On those figures, the purchase price is roughly 3.6 times GigaCloud's 2025 revenue. Kyivstar has previously reported plans for a sovereign data center in Ukraine. No integration or service-launch date accompanies the GigaCloud announcement.

What has HPE actually automated?

HPE claims its Marvis platform has beaten Cisco to a “proper self-driving network.” The company describes Marvis as an AI brain that unifies components across its Aruba and Mist portfolios, creating what HPE calls a truly autonomous system.

HPE's announcement presents product design rather than operating evidence. It gives no deployment scale, throughput or customer results, leaving the competitive claim intact but unmeasured. Product design is not performance data.

Why is BT's TalkTalk deal under fire?

Virgin Media O2 CEO Lutz Schüler has called BT's purchase of failed fixed-line provider TalkTalk a “backroom deal” and wants the Competition and Markets Authority to conduct an in-depth review. He also says the government effectively nodded the deal through.

“BT has dominated the wholesale market for decades and is the largest retail broadband provider in the country,” Schüler wrote. “Should this acquisition of one of its closest competitors be waved through, BT's market power will be further enhanced with less incentive to compete.”

BT announced the £400 million TalkTalk purchase earlier this month, after no buyer emerged for the failed provider. The company said it acted because of the potential consequences of TalkTalk's collapse for vulnerable customers and key public services. Schüler sees concentration, not continuity, as the deal's main effect.

What do KPN and Telenor's numbers show?

• KPN results: Dutch operator KPN saw third-quarter adjusted revenue rise 2.9% year over year to €1.49 billion ($1.65 billion). Adjusted EBITDAaL, or earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization after leases, fell 0.1% to €671 million ($747 million).
• KPN subscribers: In the consumer segment, postpaid mobile subscriber numbers rose by 24,000 during the quarter. Broadband subscribers fell by 7,000 overall.
• KPN outlook: The operator confirmed its full-year 2026 outlook: service revenue growth of about 1.5%, adjusted EBITDAaL of about €2.67 billion ($2.97 billion) and capex of about €1.25 billion ($1.39 billion).
• Telenor results: Norwegian operator Telenor reported third-quarter service revenue growth of 1.6% to NOK14.8 billion ($1.6 billion), while EBITDA rose 1.5% to NOK8.8 billion ($940 million).
• Defense systems: Telenor subsidiary KNL signed a framework agreement allowing the Danish Armed Forces to procure its ultra-secure high-frequency communication systems, consolidating its position in secure defense communications.

Where is Vodafone's Joakim Reiter heading?\n

Joakim Reiter will leave Vodafone after more than nine years with the company, most recently as chief external and corporate affairs officer. In the new year, he will become secretary general of the European Roundtable for Industry, having previously served as assistant secretary general of the United Nations.

Can Europe's sovereign cloud attract major banks?

Europe's sovereign AI and cloud initiatives are not yet mature enough for adoption by major banks, according to Takis Spiliopoulos, CEO of Swiss banking-software company Temenos. He said the offerings need time to develop into platforms large banks can use, despite Europe's desire to move away from mainly US-based hyperscalers for cloud needs.

For now, the obstacle is platform maturity rather than policy direction. Europe's policy ambition is running ahead of the platforms.

What does RETN's Sofia expansion connect?

London-based RETN is expanding its Balkan presence through a new point of presence at Neterra's SDC data center in Sofia, Bulgaria. The arrangement now connects Neterra to RETN's international backbone, giving Neterra access to the network across Europe and Asia.

The next checkpoints are KPN's 2026 targets, Reiter's new-year move and a possible deeper CMA review of BT's TalkTalk purchase. Kyivstar, by contrast, has attached no integration or service-launch date to its $50 million GigaCloud deal. Its first rollout schedule will be the more useful measure of the transaction.