UAE Telecom Giant e& Acquires Serbia’s SBB For $855M To Expand in Europe

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

February 12, 2025

e&’s subsidiary, e& PPF Telecom Group BV, has finalized an agreement to acquire Serbian broadband and pay-TV provider SBB from United Group for $854.6 million (€825 million). This move strengthens e&’s presence in Central Eastern Europe, aligning with the company’s strategy to diversify revenue streams and accelerate growth.

The acquisition will see SBB merge with e&’s Serbian mobile subsidiary, Yettel, to create a leading converged operator. This merger will enhance mobile, fixed broadband, and pay-TV services, benefiting from the region’s high growth potential. The deal is expected to generate synergies and offer a comprehensive range of services, boosting competitiveness in the market.

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The acquisition is being financed through debt raised by e& PPF Telecom, with SBB’s financials integrated into e& PPF Telecom. While the deal will not significantly impact e&’s overall financials, it is expected to strengthen its market position in Serbia.

SBB is a major player in Serbia’s broadband and cable TV sector, with over 700,000 active customers. In 2023, it generated $252.8 million in revenue and had an impressive 50% EBITDAaL margin. This acquisition is expected to add 12% to revenue and 15% to EBITDAaL annually for e& PPF Telecom.

e&’s broader European expansion strategy includes its October acquisition of a controlling stake in PPF Telecom Group, which operates across Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia. e& PPF Telecom now serves over 10 million customers in these markets.Forbes has ranked e& 13th on its list of Top 100 Listed Companies in 2024, and CEO Hatem Dowidar is 9th on Forbes Middle East’s Top CEOs list.

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Cyprus Remains Among EU’s Lowest Renewable Electricity Producers

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

July 27, 2026

Cyprus remained among the European Union’s weakest performers in renewable energy adoption in 2025, with renewables accounting for 27.5% of gross electricity consumption, according to new data published by Eurostat.

Across the EU, renewable sources supplied 49.9% of gross electricity consumption last year, bringing the bloc close to generating half of its electricity from renewable energy.

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Cyprus Remains Among The EU’s Lowest Performers

Cyprus ranked among the EU countries with the lowest share of renewable electricity, ahead of only Malta at 11.2%, the Czech Republic at 19.2%, Luxembourg at 23.3% and Slovakia at 24.1%.

Across the country’s broader energy system, renewables accounted for 21.5% of gross final energy consumption in 2025.

EU Renewable Electricity Continues To Grow

Renewables supplied 49.9% of gross electricity consumption across the EU in 2025, up from 47.5% a year earlier. Since Eurostat began collecting comparable data in 2004, the share has risen from 15.9%.

Austria recorded the highest share at 90.8%, followed by Sweden at 89.2%. Denmark generated 77.7% of its electricity from renewable sources, followed by Portugal at 65.6%, Greece at 60.9% and Spain at 60.7%.

Overall Energy Transition Still Has Work Ahead

Renewables accounted for 26.2% of the EU’s gross final energy consumption in 2025, up from 25.2% in 2024 and 9.6% in 2004.

Despite the increase, the bloc remains below its legally binding target of 42.5% by 2030. According to Eurostat, achieving that goal will require an average annual increase of 3.3 percentage points between 2026 and 2030.

Sweden recorded the highest overall renewable energy share at 65.4%, followed by Finland at 53% and Denmark at 48.2%. Belgium recorded the lowest share at 14.9%, followed by Slovakia at 16.3% and Ireland at 17.2%.

Heating And Cooling Also Show Steady Progress

Renewable energy accounted for 27.4% of heating and cooling across the EU in 2025, the highest level since comparable records began in 2004. The share increased by 0.7 percentage points from 2024, slightly below the long-term annual average increase of 0.75 percentage points.

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