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Tom Leins

Tom Leins

Tom Leins is a Senior Research Analyst for TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database. Based out of the company’s UK office, he also contributes to the company’s daily CommsUpdate newsletter, which includes his popular weekly MVNO Monday round-up. MVNO industry aside, Tom has developed a strong specialization in the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean, tracking mergers and acquisitions, spectrum auctions, regulatory developments, market opportunities, and growth trends.

Tom Leins

Features articles by Tom Leins

Blog

Nov 12, 2025

Wide Open Space: How Starlink Conquered Oceania

If you're looking for updates on Starlink's expansion, you need to know how this satellite broadband...

Blog

Jul 13, 2025

5G Progress Report: Brazil

Brazil’s multi-band 5G spectrum auction concluded in November 2021, resulting in total commitments of...

Blog

Jun 13, 2025

A Fistful of Dollars: The Cable Cowboy Ropes Cox Communications

In May, U.S. cable giants Charter Communications and Cox Communications entered into a definitive...

Blog

Apr 15, 2025

The French Billionaire Who Quietly Amassed a Telecom Empire

French billionaire Xavier Niel rose to prominence in the telecom world for his ownership of domestic...

Blog

Mar 26, 2025

Exit Strategy: Telefonica’s Latin American Divestments, Explained

Back in early 2019, after months of speculation linking Telefonica to a sale of its Central American...

Blog

Nov 12, 2024

Reach for the Stars: How Starlink Conquered Latin America

Starlink, the satellite broadband provider operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX unit, is making rapid inroads...

Blog

Sep 18, 2024

Comparing the Fiber Strategies of the Big Three U.S. Mobile Operators

Verizon’s shock agreement to acquire ISP giant Frontier Communications in a $20 billion all-cash deal...

Blog

Jul 23, 2024

The Altnets Spearheading the UK’s Full-Fiber Future

British telecom regulator Ofcom recently published its Connected Nations report for 2023. The latest...

Blog

Apr 11, 2024

How an Unlikely Spanish Merger Triggered a Reshape of the Telecom Landscape

Last month saw the conclusion of the long-running mega-merger between Orange España and Grupo MASMOVIL...

Blog

Aug 22, 2023

Fiber Fever: Meet the ISPs Driving FTTH Deployment in South Africa

Earlier this month, South African ISP Vumatel announced that its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) infrastructure...

Blog

Jul 26, 2023

Deal or No Deal? Meet the Regional ISPs Driving M&A in Brazil

Earlier this month, Brazilian regional ISPs Vero Internet and AmericaNet agreed to merge their...

Blog

Jul 13, 2023

How Telefonica Embraced Strategic Alliances To Boost Fiber Coverage in Latin America

Earlier this month, international telecom group Telefonica entered into its fourth Latin American...

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Jun 20, 2023

5G Frequency Frenzy: A Guide to Latin America’s Upcoming Spectrum Auctions

In sharp contrast to other regions, only a handful of Latin American telecom markets have seen 5G launch...

Blog

Apr 13, 2023

The Rise and Fall of a Caribbean Communications Kingpin

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Denis O’Brien—the Irish businessman who founded international...

Blog

Jan 23, 2023

The Panama Paper Trail: Tracking Five Years of Telecom Upheaval

Back in 2018, the Panamanian government rubber-stamped long-gestating plans to reduce the mobile market...

Blog

Sep 7, 2022

How MTN Hung Up on the Middle East

Last month, it was revealed that South Africa’s MTN Group received a $31 million offer from an unnamed...

Blog

Jul 5, 2022

A Spanish Sub-Brand Squeeze Out

The last year has seen a number of well-known sub-brands withdraw from the Spanish mobile market, as...

Blog

Jun 8, 2022

Meet the Cellcos Serving Rural America: Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of our analysis of the regional cellular scene in the United States! In this...

Blog

Apr 13, 2022

Meet the Cellcos Serving Rural America: Part 1

The U.S. mobile market is notoriously ultra-competitive, and household names like Sprint aren't the only...

Blog

Mar 29, 2022

Mobile Merger Season: Examining M&A Activity Across Asia

Recent months have seen an unprecedented level of M&A activity across Asia’s mobile markets, with...

Blog

Feb 23, 2022

Scandinavian Skirmishes & Baltic Battlegrounds: Reviewing Regional Rivalries

Last year, we investigated how major Scandinavian telecom groups Telenor, Telia, and Tele2 have followed...

Blog

Jan 26, 2022

Meet the Acquisition-Hungry ICT Firm Gobbling Up Telcos Across Eastern Europe

The telecom landscape in Eastern Europe has changed dramatically over the last decade, with sustained...

Blog

Oct 25, 2021

Out of this World: The International Satellite Broadband Battle Intensifies

Starlink—the satellite broadband venture established by Elon Musk’s SpaceX business—has attracted plenty...

Blog

May 27, 2021

Behind the Madagascan Company in the Hunt for Africa’s Telecom Assets

Last month Luxembourg-based Millicom International Cellular sealed a pair of deals that will see it exit...

Blog

Apr 26, 2021

Tracking TracFone: Meet the Prepaid Provider Now Worth $6.25 Billion

In September 2020, U.S. telecom giant Verizon announced the surprise takeover of prepaid MVNO TracFone...

Blog

Mar 24, 2021

Deal-Making Down Under: Oceania's Wave of Telecom M&A

Earlier this month, Australian telecom group Vocus accepted a $2.7 billion (AUD3.5 billion) takeover...

Blog

Jan 26, 2021

Tower Talk: Meet the Companies Buying Latin America’s Cell Towers

Latin America has been a hotbed of M&A activity in recent years. And it isn’t just telecom operators...

Blog

Aug 19, 2020

Sprint Reaches the Finish Line: The Rise and Fall of an American Telco

On April 1, T-Mobile US and Sprint Corporation completed their long-awaited merger. It was the beginning...

Blog

Mar 24, 2020

How BT Intends to Dismantle Its Global Empire

In December 2019, UK telecom giant BT Group agreed to sell BT Espana to investment fund Portobello...

Blog

Jul 3, 2019

How Telefonica Hung Up on Central America

After months of speculation linking Spanish telecom giant Telefonica to a sale of its Central American...

Blog

Mar 26, 2019

How Nextel Disappeared from Latin America

Mexican telecom giant America Movil (AM) recently struck an agreement to acquire 100 percent of Nextel...

Blog

Jan 14, 2019

A Guide to 5G Spectrum Auctions in the Gulf States: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and...

As the telecom world prepares to enter the 5G era, our GlobalComms team has been tracking major 5G...

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