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Cellnex sells French data center arm Towerlink France for €391 million

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Cellnex (CLNX.MC), Europe’s largest mobile tower operator, announced on Friday that it has agreed to sell its French data center unit, Towerlink France, to Vauban Infra Fibre for €391 million ($458 million).

The Spanish company said the deal, made through its French subsidiary, will be fully settled in cash upon completion. The transaction covers 99.99% of Towerlink France’s share capital.

The sale marks another key step in Cellnex’s strategic shift from aggressive acquisitions toward strengthening its balance sheet and focusing on its core telecom infrastructure business.

In September, Reuters reported that Cellnex had been in talks with advisers to divest its French data center operations as part of broader restructuring efforts. Towerlink France operates the company’s main data center activities in the country.

The move follows a string of recent asset sales aimed at reducing debt and improving liquidity. Earlier this year, Cellnex sold its Austrian operations for €803 million and its Irish business for €971 million, freeing up significant capital.

Analysts say the divestments reflect a pragmatic approach by the company to consolidate around its core telecommunications tower business, which remains highly profitable amid Europe’s accelerating 5G rollout.

Ericsson’s shares surge 13% after profit beat and minimal tariff concerns

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Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson saw its shares soar more than 13% on Tuesday, marking its strongest single-day rise since 2018, after the company reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and dismissed concerns over U.S. tariffs.

Adjusted EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) — excluding restructuring costs — reached 15.4 billion Swedish crowns ($1.62 billion) for the quarter ending September, exceeding analysts’ forecasts of 14.1 billion crowns, according to an Infront poll.

The company attributed its strong performance to ongoing cost savings and its leading market share in North America, where it has outpaced rival Nokia in the race to deploy 5G infrastructure. Ericsson’s finance chief Lars Sandström told Reuters that while no firm is entirely immune to tariffs, the company currently sees “no additional impact going forward.”

Although total net sales fell 9% year-on-year to 56.2 billion crowns, they still surpassed expectations of 55.7 billion. Sales in the Americas declined 8% compared to 2024’s strong performance, which benefited from major customer investments and network deliveries.

Ericsson also announced a new five-year partnership with Vodafone to modernize programmable networks and confirmed the completion of its Iconectiv sale, generating a one-off profit of 7.6 billion crowns — potentially paving the way for higher dividends or a share buyback program.

Telstra Fined $12 Million for Secretly Slowing Internet Speeds of Nearly 9,000 Customers

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Australia’s largest telecommunications company, Telstra, has been ordered to pay A$18 million (about $11.9 million) after a court found it misled thousands of customers by reducing their internet speeds without informing them, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced on Friday.

According to the ACCC, Telstra migrated 8,897 customers from its low-cost brand Belong to a plan with half the original upload speed between October and November 2020, without any notification or consent. This left users unknowingly paying for a downgraded service.

“Telstra’s failure to inform customers that their broadband service had been changed denied them the opportunity to decide whether the changed service was suitable for their needs,” said ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey. The regulator emphasized that customers deserve transparency and control over the quality of the services they pay for.

Beyond the fine, Telstra has committed to compensating affected customers, offering A$15 credits or refunds for every month they were on the reduced-speed plan. A Telstra spokesperson told Reuters that the company accepted the court’s decision and was finalizing remediation efforts.

The ruling adds to growing regulatory scrutiny of Australia’s telecom sector, particularly after Optus—one of Telstra’s main competitors—suffered two emergency call outages last month, one of which was linked to four deaths.

On the market, Telstra shares fell 0.7% following the announcement, while the broader Australian benchmark index (.AXJO) rose 0.5%.

The case underscores how digital infrastructure providers are increasingly being held accountable for consumer transparency and service integrity, as Australia tightens oversight over its critical communications networks.