Core Insights - VEON Ltd. announced the acquisition of 97% of Uklon, a leading Ukrainian ride-hailing and delivery platform, by JSC Kyivstar [1][2] - Uklon reported a revenue of USD 65 million for FY 2024, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% from FY 2021 to FY 2024 [2] - The business combination agreement between VEON and Cohen Circle Acquisition Corp. I aims to list Kyivstar on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the ticker symbol KYIV, expected to close in Q3 2025 [3] Company Overview - VEON is a global digital operator serving nearly 160 million customers across six countries, focusing on technology-driven services [5] - Kyivstar, Ukraine's largest digital operator, serves over 23 million mobile subscribers and has committed to invest USD 1 billion in telecom technologies from 2023 to 2027 [5] - Uklon, founded 15 years ago, is the largest ride-hailing player in Ukraine, with over 100,000 drivers and operations in 27 cities [6] Financial Metrics - Uklon achieved over 100 million rides and over 3 million deliveries in 2024 [2] - The company has a team of over 700 experts, including 250 software engineers, enhancing its technology platform [6]

I only buy strong businesses. I only buy them when they're cheap. Backgrounds in economics, philosophy, government, data. I started my investing journey with a fairly concentrated portfolio of Canadian dividend payers in the telecom, pipeline and banking industries. I have moved forward through different industries including payments, US regional banking, Chinese and Brazilian equities, REITs, technology companies and a few other emerging market opportunities, as well as microcap through to megacap range. I ...

Core Viewpoint - VEON Ltd. announces the acquisition of Uklon group, a leading Ukrainian ride-hailing and delivery platform, by its subsidiary Kyivstar, marking an expansion into digital consumer services and reinforcing confidence in Ukraine's digital growth potential [1][4][7]. Company Overview - VEON is a global digital operator serving nearly 160 million customers across six countries, focusing on technology-driven services that empower individuals and drive economic growth [9]. - Kyivstar is Ukraine's largest digital operator, with over 23 million mobile subscribers and more than 1.1 million Home Internet fixed line customers as of December 2024 [10]. - Uklon, founded 15 years ago, is the largest ride-hailing player in Ukraine, operating in 27 cities and uniting over 100,000 driver-partners [2][11]. Acquisition Details - Kyivstar will acquire 97% of Uklon shares for a total consideration of USD 155.2 million, with Uklon CEO Serhii Hryshkov expected to remain in his position [3]. - The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals [3]. Strategic Importance - The acquisition is seen as a strategic investment in Ukraine's digital economy, complementing Kyivstar's existing digital services such as Helsi and KyivstarTV [4]. - Uklon has facilitated over 100 million rides and more than 3 million deliveries in 2024, indicating its significant market presence [2]. Future Prospects - VEON plans to explore the expansion of Uklon's capabilities beyond Ukraine and Uzbekistan, leveraging its digital operators in Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh [4]. - VEON has committed to investing USD 1 billion in Ukraine's digital future between 2023 and 2027, including partnerships to enhance connectivity [7]. Market Position - Uklon is recognized as a technology pioneer in ride-hailing and has successfully entered the delivery business, showcasing rapid organic development [6]. - The acquisition is expected to enhance Kyivstar's ability to offer digital experiences to millions of Ukrainians [5].

Core Insights - The telecom sector is experiencing significant downturns, with major companies like AT&T and T-Mobile seeing declines of nearly 5% and 4% respectively [2] - Verizon's chief revenue officer indicated a challenging competitive environment, predicting flat or slightly negative growth in postpaid contract gross additions for the current quarter [4][6] - Increased device retention among consumers, with an average of over 41 months before upgrading, is contributing to growth challenges in the telecom industry [5] Group 1 - Major telecom stocks, including AT&T and T-Mobile, faced declines in trading, reflecting negative sentiment in the sector [2][3] - Ciena, a networking company, reported $1.07 billion in revenue for the first quarter, a 3% year-over-year increase, but its stock still suffered due to broader market concerns [7] - The overall market sentiment is influenced by Verizon's performance, as it sets the tone for the industry, indicating potential struggles for smaller telecom companies [6] Group 2 - Investors are concerned about the potential impact of tariffs on telecom stocks, particularly regarding raw materials for telecom equipment [8] - The current competitive intensity in the telecom market is described as elevated, which is not conducive to growth [4] - The telecom sector remains under pressure, with investors advised to remain cautious [8]

AT&T's (T 1.46%) stock turnaround has been one of the more surprising happenings in the stock market over the past 12 months. Its stock is up by around 52% in that span and has nearly touched its five-year high.Its sudden switch from consistent disappointment to being one of the higher-performing stocks in the S&P 500 has left many wondering whether this is just a phase, or if AT&T has what it takes to continue delivery in the long term.If you're like me, I believe it has what it takes. The company hit a lo ...

Core Viewpoint - In a market characterized by high valuations, Verizon, IBM, and Cisco are identified as attractive income-generating investments due to their lower valuations and healthy dividend yields [1][2]. Group 1: Verizon - Verizon's stock reached a 13-year low of $28.25 on October 13, 2023, but has since rebounded to nearly $44 [3]. - The company doubled its annual postpaid phone net additions in 2024, driven by localized marketing, customizable plans, and growth in its distribution business with Walmart [4]. - Verizon's free cash flow rose 6% to $19.8 billion, covering its $11.2 billion in dividend payments, with a forward yield of 6.3% and a low forward price-to-earnings ratio of 9 [5]. Group 2: IBM - Under CEO Arvind Krishna, IBM has shifted focus towards cloud-based services and AI, spinning off its slow-growth IT infrastructure services business [6][7]. - From 2020 to 2024, IBM's revenue and EPS grew at compound annual growth rates of 3% and 1%, respectively, marking a recovery after years of decline [8]. - Analysts project a 4% growth in revenue and EPS for IBM this year, with a forward dividend yield of 2.7% and a payout ratio of 52% of its free cash flow [9]. Group 3: Cisco - Cisco faced challenges in fiscal 2021 and 2022 due to supply chain constraints but saw growth in fiscal 2023 as these issues were resolved [10][11]. - Analysts expect Cisco's revenue to rise 5% in fiscal 2025 as inventory issues are addressed, although adjusted EPS may remain flat due to integration costs from its acquisition of Splunk [12]. - Cisco's stock is valued at 17 times forward earnings, with a forward dividend yield of 2.6%, and it spent only half of its free cash flow on dividends over the past year [13].

Core Viewpoint - Lumen Technologies, Inc. (LUMN) has experienced a significant stock surge of 175.8% over the past year, driven by increasing demand for AI-fueled connectivity solutions, outperforming both the S&P 500 and its industry peers [1][12]. Group 1: Growth Factors - The demand for Lumen's Private Connectivity Fabric (PCF) solutions is rising due to rapid AI proliferation, with the company securing $8.5 billion in PCF deals for 2024 [2]. - Major companies are urgently seeking fiber capacity, leading to valuable partnerships with tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Google Cloud, and Meta Platforms [3]. - Lumen's sales in IP and Wave services have increased by 13% each in North America's enterprise channels, highlighting strong demand in large enterprise and mid-market segments [3]. Group 2: Network Expansion - In 2024, Lumen expanded its high-speed IP service to include 400 gig ports in 14 additional markets, with 400-gig Waves available in over 70 markets [4]. - The company reported nearly a 50% increase in sales of 100 and 400-gig Waves across large enterprise and mid-markets in 2024 [4]. - Lumen aims to grow its total inter-city fiber miles from 12 million in 2022 to 47 million by 2028, indicating a strong focus on network expansion [4]. Group 3: Operational Efficiency - Lumen is working on increasing overall network utilization from 57% in 2022 to 70% by 2028, driven by demand from hyperscalers [5]. - The company is targeting $1 billion in cost savings by the end of 2027 through infrastructure simplification and product portfolio integration, aiming to reduce product codes from thousands to nearly 300 [9]. Group 4: Valuation and Investment Potential - LUMN is currently trading at a trailing 12-month price-to-sales ratio of 0.41, significantly below the industry average of 4.36, indicating a compelling valuation [10]. - The combination of strong stock performance, extensive cost cuts, and discounted valuation positions LUMN as an attractive investment opportunity [12].

Core Insights - MIND C.T.I. Ltd. reported its financial results for Q4 2024 and the full year ended December 31, 2024, highlighting challenges in the telecom industry due to economic conditions and increased competition [2][6][10] Financial Highlights of Q4 2024 - Total revenues for Q4 2024 were $5.2 million, a decrease from $5.6 million in Q4 2023 - Operating income was $1.3 million, representing 25% of total revenue, compared to 21% in Q4 2023 - Net income for the quarter was $1.2 million, or $0.06 per share, down from $1.4 million, or $0.07 per share in Q4 2023 - Cash flow from operating activities was $0.3 million, compared to $0.7 million in Q4 2023 [10] Financial Highlights of Full Year 2024 - Total revenues for the full year were $21.4 million, slightly down from $21.6 million in 2023 - Operating income was $4.4 million, or 20% of total revenue, compared to 22% in 2023 - Net income for the year was $4.6 million, or $0.23 per share, down from $5.2 million, or $0.26 per share in 2023 - Cash flow from operating activities remained stable at $4.1 million [10] Revenue Distribution - In Q4 2024, revenue distribution was as follows: Europe 46% (Germany messaging segment 34%), Americas 43%, and rest of the world 11% - For the full year 2024, revenue distribution was: Europe 53% (Germany messaging segment 37%), Americas 40%, and rest of the world 7% - Revenue from customer care and billing software was $3.0 million (58% of total revenues) in Q4 2024 and $11.8 million (55% of total revenues) for the full year [8][11][12] Challenges and Market Conditions - The company faced adverse effects from global economic conditions, industry consolidation, and increased competition, leading to a decline in capital spending among communications companies - The telecom billing market has seen decreased investment as telcos prioritize infrastructure costs for 5G deployment - The company was unable to recruit new customers in 2024 and anticipates unfavorable impacts on revenues and profitability in 2025 [6][7] Dividend Declaration - The Board of Directors declared a gross dividend of $0.22 per share, with a record date of March 25, 2025, and a payment date of April 10, 2025 [14] Acquisition Update - In January 2025, the company acquired Aurenz GmbH, a provider of UC analytics and call accounting solutions in Germany, and continues to explore potential acquisition targets [15]

Core Insights - Tech Mahindra has launched a Multi-Modal Network Operations Large Language Model for telecoms, developed using NVIDIA AI Enterprise software and AWS Cloud infrastructure, aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and service quality in telecom networks [1][2][3] Group 1: Model Features and Capabilities - The model is based on the Llama 3.1 8b instruct model and is customized for telecom networks, managing both structured and unstructured data to enable proactive issue resolution [1][2] - It facilitates the transformation of traditional telecom networks into fully autonomous networks (L4 and above), integrating AI capabilities holistically within the network [2][3] - The model includes two critical AI-driven use cases: the Dynamic Network Insights Studio for comprehensive network observability and the Proactive Network Anomaly Resolution Hub for autonomous detection and resolution of network anomalies [3][4] Group 2: Collaboration and Strategic Vision - The collaboration between Tech Mahindra, NVIDIA, and AWS aims to redefine network operations through intelligent automation and deep learning, reinforcing Tech Mahindra's commitment to AI innovation in telecom [5] - The solution architecture integrates AI-driven intelligence into network operations, focusing on efficient data ingestion, data curation, and automated action implementation for quick service restoration [4][5] - Tech Mahindra envisions leveraging the Multi-Modal Network Operations Large Model to impact additional business use cases in the long term [5]

Core Insights - RADCOM Ltd. has developed a high-capacity user plane data capture and analytics solution utilizing NVIDIA's BlueField-3 DPU, aimed at enhancing network observability and providing real-time Quality of Experience insights [1][3] - The solution leverages AI-driven analytics to improve telecom operators' visibility into subscriber services, performance, and operational costs, with testing planned for 2025 and a commercial launch targeted for early 2026 [2][4] Company Developments - The new solution is designed for both network and business applications, focusing on closed-loop automation and advanced AI-driven analytics to enhance service personalization and quality [4][5] - RADCOM has secured a multi-year deal with Norlys to provide advanced network monitoring solutions for 5G and 4G networks in Denmark, indicating strong market demand for its offerings [6] Financial Performance - In the last reported quarter, RADCOM achieved a record revenue of $16.3 million, exceeding estimates by 5.6% and reflecting a year-over-year increase of 16.1% [7] - For 2024, the company reported revenues of $61 million, marking an 18.2% year-over-year growth, continuing a trend of increased profitability for five consecutive years [8] - Projections for 2025 indicate revenue growth between 12% and 15%, with a midpoint estimate of $69.2 million, representing a 13.5% increase from 2024 [7] Market Position - RADCOM holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), with its shares increasing by 14% over the past year, although this is below the industry's growth of 29.4% [9] - The company's stock closed at $12.13 on February 28, reflecting positive market sentiment [9]