AT&T’s plans to create what it calls a ‘global SIM’ will give the company opportunities to capitalise on the growth of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology in Europe, chief executive Randall Stephenson says.
Mr Stephenson believes that after years of “underinvestment”, countries like the UK and Germany are now paying enough attention to the benefits of LTE and the market is growing as a result.
He was quoted by ft.com as saying: “We think there are still lots of opportunities in Europe. We’re still pretty excited about Europe, but it is finally beginning to take off and people are finally investing there.”
AT&T has played a key role in the growth of LTE in the US, where the technology is most widely used. This week, the firm reduced its American customers’ wireless charges by $15 per month, cnn.com reports. It is thought that the move was in response to intensifying competition from rival provider T-Mobile.
The comments come after the US telecoms firm again played down rumours that it would soon bid for Vodafone. Earlier this year, the UK’s Takeover Panel, which regulates business mergers and acquisitions, forced AT&T to rule out making a move for the British mobile giant for at least six months. Despite this, many analysts are still expecting a bid to be launched at some point.
It had been suggested that a buyout attempt would be made once Vodafone completed the sale of Verizon Wireless. This deal, which saw Vodafone’s 45 per cent stake transferred to Verizon Communications for $130 billion, was finalised at the end of February.
