Escribano steps down as chairman of Spain's Indra
SPAIN 08:36

Escribano steps down as chairman of Spain's Indra

Spain's state-backed ICT and defence group Indra has announced the resignation of chairman Angel Escribano shortly after his own company Escribano Mechanical and Engineering (EM&E) withdrew from a potential acquisition by Indra due to a conflict of interest. In a letter to the board, Escribano said he was stepping down as he would not allow his continued presence to interfere with the stability of the company.

Spain watchdog proposes free bidirectional commercial calls
SPAIN 07:46

Spain watchdog proposes free bidirectional commercial calls

Spain's communications watchdog CNMC has proposed a number of measures to boost the transparency of commercial and customer service calls, including using the new 400 prefix and enabling recipients to return the call at no extra cost. In its opinion on new rules put forward by the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, the regulator agreed that using the 400 prefix would make it easier for users to clearly identify the type of call they are receiving or making. 

Spain court orders EUR 107 mln tax refund to Orange, Vodafone
SPAIN 1 APR

Spain court orders EUR 107 mln tax refund to Orange, Vodafone

Spain's Audiencia Nacional court has ordered the country's tax agency to refund around EUR 107.5 million to the local subsidiaries of Orange and Vodafone after ruling that a business tax applied to telecommunications operators breached European Union regulations, according to court rulings seen by Expansion. The decisions handed down by the country's Audiencia Nacional court on 18 February and 10 March upheld the administrative appeals lodged by the operators against earlier rulings issued by the country's

Spain's PremiumFiber looking to refinance up to EUR 2 bln
SPAIN 1 APR

Spain's PremiumFiber looking to refinance up to EUR 2 bln

PremiumFiber, the fibre-optic network company owned by MasOrange, Vodafone Spain (Zegona) and GIC, is preparing to refinance an initial EUR 2 billion of its EUR 5 billion debt pile, according to sources cited by business daily Expansion. The wholesale operator intends to close a bond issue with a long-term maturity of around ten years before inflation spikes due to the Iran conflict, said the report.

Italian jobless rate up to 5.3% in February
SPAIN 1 APR

Italian jobless rate up to 5.3% in February

Italy's official unemployment rate climbed to 5.3 percent in February, up 0.1 percent compared to the previous month's upwardly revised figure of 5.2 percent, according to the latest provisional data from Istat. February saw a 29,000 monthly fall in the number of employed people (+13,000 YoY) as well as a 1.0 percent drop in youth unemployment, measuring job-seekers aged 15 to 24 years old, to 17.6 percent.

Orange and Euskaltel bring 5G to 99 small towns in Navarre
SPAIN 1 APR

Orange and Euskaltel bring 5G to 99 small towns in Navarre

MasOrange said its Orange and Euskaltel brands have expanded their 5G coverage to 99 municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants in the northern Navarre region. Some 38 of these municipalities have populations below 500, confirming the group's commitment to reduce the digital divide and bring advanced mobile services to even the smallest rural communities.

Digi Spain posts highest ever porting gains in Q1
SPAIN 1 APR

Digi Spain posts highest ever porting gains in Q1

Digi Spain said it added a net 492,000 new lines through number porting in the first quarter of 2026, up 22 percent year on year and 1 percent compared to Q4 2025. In March alone, Digi reported over 174,000 number portings, up 22 percent year on year, and the 17th straight month with over 100,000 monthly portings for the operator.

Spain's PC Componentes launches MVNO on MasOrange network
SPAIN 31 MRT

Spain's PC Componentes launches MVNO on MasOrange network

Spanish e-commerce retailer PC Componentes has announced the launch of an MVNO venture, promising competitive pricing with nationwide customer service and a commitment to quickly fix any issue that arises at no cost to the user. The PC Componentes Fibra y Movil plans use the MasOrange mobile and FTTH network throughout the country and also include two TV packages. 

Telefonica lands Cerealto digital transformation deal
SPAIN 31 MRT

Telefonica lands Cerealto digital transformation deal

Telefonica has been awarded a contract to lead the migration of Cerealto's business management system to the SAP S/4HANA environment as part of the Spain-based food company's broader digital transformation strategy. The new platform aims to boost Cerealto's efficiency, data-based decision-making and competitiveness by integrating advanced tools for automation and analytics.

Spanish telecom service revenues up 1% to EUR 5.94 bln in Q4
SPAIN 30 MRT

Spanish telecom service revenues up 1% to EUR 5.94 bln in Q4

Total service revenues for the Spanish telecommunication and audiovisual retail sector climbed to EUR 5.94 billion in the final quarter of 2025, up 0.9 percent from EUR 5.87 billion a year earlier, according to the latest report from communications regulator CNMC. Wholesale revenues also grew, helped by an 18.2 percent surge in mobile broadband traffic.

MasOrange and Aire cleared to cut off MVNO Silbo Telecom
SPAIN 30 MRT

MasOrange and Aire cleared to cut off MVNO Silbo Telecom

Spanish communications and markets regulator CNMC has authorised MasOrange and Aire Networks to stop providing fibre services to MVNO Silbo Telecom on grounds of non-payment. In separate decisions, the watchdog said it had cleared the wholesale providers to terminate their contracts with Silbo after the latter failed to respond to its requests. 

Vodafone Spain inks wholesale deal with Avanza Fibra
SPAIN 30 MRT

Vodafone Spain inks wholesale deal with Avanza Fibra

Vodafone Spain (Zegona) has reached an agreement to provide mobile services to regional MVNO Avanza Fibra, which operates in the provinces of Albacete, Alicante, Almería, Cuenca, Granada, Murcia and Valencia. In a statement, Avanza said the migration from the network of MasOrange will take place gradually and allow it to access Vodafone's 5G network as well as VoLTE and VoWiFi calling services.

SPAIN 30 MRT

Movistar Plus+ streamlines structure

Movistar Plus+, Telefonica's IPTV platform, has reorganised its management structure to streamline rights acquisition and partnerships under a single division. The company said the changes serve to strengthen the company's position in the fast-evolving global audiovisual market by aligning its structure with the integrated approach of major international content providers.

SPAIN 27 MRT

Disney+, RTVE ink deal to stream shows 'immediately after' TV premiere

Disney has signed a content licensing deal with Spanish public broadcaster RTVE that will make the latter's original productions available on Disney+ "immediately after" their television debut. The deal expands Disney's partnerships with European free-to-air broadcasters, following similar agreements with Atresmedia in Spain, Germany's ZDF and ARD, Britain's ITV and Portugal's SIC, as part of its strategy to boost local content and meet EU quotas for European programming.

SPAIN 27 MRT

Spain's CNMC activates official 'smishing' register

Spain's communications regulator CNMC has announced the launch of an Alias Registry designed to prevent identity theft scams through fraudulent messages (smishing). The central database is described as a key tool in combating the surge in SMS, MMS or RCS scams that impersonate companies, banks or public administrations.

SPAIN 27 MRT

Telefonica to offer comedy pop-up channel on Movistar Plus+

Telefonica has announced the upcoming launch of a Spanish comedy-themed pop-up channel on its Movistar Plus+ IPTV platform. The channel, dubbed Top Comedia Española (Top Spanish Comedy), will feature some of the funniest nationally-produced movies, including 'Agítese antes de usarla', 'Los dos lados de la cama', 'La gran aventura de Mortadelo y Filemón' and 'Los aitas'.

SPAIN 27 MRT

Spain's Avatel abandons merger with Parlem

Spanish rural telecommunications provider Avatel said it has ended merger negotiations with Catalan MVNO Parlem nearly a year after starting the consolidation process. Avatel, Spain's fifth largest fibre-optic operator, had previously agreed to acquire 50.01 percent of Parlem's shares in exchange for the former's business in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Levante region, pending due diligence.

SPAIN 27 MRT

Orange Spain introduces 5 Gbps fibre option

Orange Spain (MasOrange) has become the first local operator to introduce a plan at symmetric (download and upload) speeds of 5 Gbps for customers who do not require the company's premium 10 Gbps option. Both plans use XGS-PON technology and are available to converged fibre business and residential customers in covered areas throughout the country.

SPAIN 27 MRT

Cellnex proposes annual board re-elections, names two new directors

Spanish operator Cellnex Telecom, Europe's largest mobile towers company, announced that it will ask shareholders at its 30 April AGM to approve a shift to annual director re-elections, replacing the current three-year cycle, in an overhaul of its corporate governance structure. The company said the change will align Cellnex with practices in major international markets and allow for greater accountability and flexibility in board oversight.

SPAIN 27 MRT

Openlayer, Telefonica Tech partner on AI governance

Openlayer said it has partnered with Telefonica Tech, the digital unit of Spain's Telefonica Group, to provide artificial intelligence governance and observability services across Europe and Latin America. Telefonica Tech will embed Openlayer's platform into its AI and data offerings, helping enterprise customers develop and deploy AI systems that comply with regulations such as the EU AI Act and ISO 42001.

SPAIN 26 MRT

Vodafone Spain adds Rakuten TV video rentals to pay-TV offering

Vodafone Spain said it has reached an agreement with Rakuten TV to integrate the latter's "Videoclub by Rakuten TV" service into its pay-TV platform, giving subscribers access to a catalogue of around 6,000 rental titles from 01 April. The partnership expands Vodafone's on-demand offering with a broad selection of recent releases, blockbusters and classic films available directly through the Vodafone TV interface.

SPAIN 26 MRT

Orange Spain extends SPI channel deal

Orange Spain (MasOrange) has reached a new distribution deal with SPI International to boost its pay-TV TV service a day after teaming up with TVUP to add 17 local and regional channels. Under the deal with SPI, the operator will continue to air three thematic channels on Orange TV until the end of 2026.

SPAIN 26 MRT

Parlem founder Pérez-Mas returns as CEO

Spanish telecommunications operator Parlem, present in Catalonia, announced that its founder and chairman Ernest Pérez-Mas has returned to lead the company after current CEO Xavier Capellades stepped down for personal reasons. Pérez-Mas will take over general powers and direct management responsibilities to reinforce the group's change in direction and strategy, said Parlem, adding that an internal reorganisation is underway to create more agile teams that are focused and aligned with its new objectives.

SPAIN 26 MRT

Telefonica nets deal to air FA Cup on Spanish TV

Telefonica has signed a deal with the English Football Association to broadcast football's most historic domestic cup competition, the Emirates FA Cup, for the remainder of the current season, plus the 2026-27 and 2027-28 campaigns. Under the deal, the operator's Movistar Plus+ platform will also air the Adobe Women's FA Cup and the FA Community Shield.

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Background

29 MRT 22:46

The week in telecoms: Italy brings back PTT, US bans foreign routers and social media on trial

23 MRT 00:38

The week in telecoms: OFC and Nvidia events drive data centre networking talk, Orange debuts full French office stack

16 MRT 00:25

The week in telecoms: Pakistan ready for 5G, Google exits FTTH market and Canal Plus works on pay-TV turnaround

6 MRT 16:00

The week in telecom: MWC brings 5G advances, AI and satellite integration, plus first robot phone