BROWSING: EMEA

Telefonica creates new firm to manage infrastructure

Telxius will initially manage 15,000 towers Spanish telecom operator Telefonica has created a new company called Telxius, which will manage certain infrastructure assets of the group. The establishment of the new global company is part of the optimization strategy for the company's asset portfolio. In the first...

BT trials cloud RAN over G.fast enabled copper

The UK telco is collaborating with US firm Cavium on G.fast tests UK telecoms operator BT has successfully used G.fast technology to deliver a Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN) cellular network service over copper, the telco said in a statement. C-RAN is a network architecture used...

Sweden to award 1800 MHz spectrum by the end of 2016

The new mobile spectrum licenses will be valid for 10 years The Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) expects to award a block of spectrum in the 1800 MHz band by the end of 2016. The telecoms regulator said interested operators have time February 24 to...

Swisscom reports Q4 profits totaling $306 million

Despite profits, the telco announces plan to close call centers Swiss mobile telephony operator Swisscom recorded revenue of 3.02 billion francs ($306 million) in the fourth quarter of 2015, slightly down compared to 3.07 billion francs in the same period a year ago. The operator’s net...

Vodafone reports fiscal Q3 revenues of $14.91B

The telco ended 2015 with 34.8 million LTE subs in 20 markets British telecom group Vodafone recorded revenues of £10.3 billion ($14.91 billion) in its fiscal third quarter, ended Dec. 31, a decline of 5.5% compared to the same quarter a year ago. The telco...

Vodafone confirms talks with Liberty Global to create JV

Liberty Global operates in the Dutch market via cable firm Ziggo U.K. telecom group Vodafone confirmed it is in discussions with Liberty Global to analyze the creation of a joint venture in the Netherlands incorporating both companies’ local operating businesses. Vodafone Group said the discussions are...

Deutsche Telekom to launch security unit

New security business unit set for 2017 launch German telecoms operator Deutsche Telekom is planning to create a new business unit dubbed “Telekom Security” focused on security solutions. The operator said Telekom Security products will be marketed under the "Magenta Security" brand beginning in mid-2016. The...

BT unveils new organizational structure

Newly acquired EE to operate as new business unit British telecom group BT announced a new organizational structure following the acquisition of compatriot mobile operator EE. The new business structure will take effect beginning in April. Under the new structure, BT will have six lines of...

BT completes EE acquisition to combine fixed, mobile

Deutsche Telecom and Orange received shares, £3.46 billion in cash BT confirmed the completion of its £12.5 billion ($17.8 billion) acquisition of U.K. mobile operator EE, which was previously controlled by Deutsche Telekom and Orange. In return for their stakes in EE, Deutsche Telekom and Orange...

TeliaSonera to invest nearly $1.7 billion in 2016

Swedish telco posted a net loss of $349 million in Q4 Swedish telecom operator TeliaSonera expects total investments excluding license and spectrum fees to reach 14 billion to 15 billion kronor ($1.63-1.74 billion) this year. The telecom operator said 2016 is a peak year for increased...

VimpelCom, MegaFon to share LTE infrastructure in Russia

Shared LTE network set to launch later this year Mobile operators VimpelCom and MegaFon announced a joint project to develop base stations and share LTE network infrastructure and operations across 10 regions in Russia. The telcos said they will share expenditures on the development and use of...

TIM tests Kumu’s full duplex relay technology in Italy

The full duplex relay trial was carried out in the city of Turin Italian mobile operator TIM carried out what it claims to be the world’s first test of the full duplex relay technology, which doubles the transmission capacity of the current LTE network and...

Cellnex, F2i front-runner to buy stake in Italian firm Inwit

Telecom Italia currently owns 60% of telecom infrastructure firm Inwit A consortium comprising Spanish operator Cellnex and Italian infrastructure fund F2i is the front-runner to buy 45% of Italian telecom tower operator Inwit, controlled by Telecom Italia, Reuters reports. Earlier this month, Telecom Italia said it...

TeliaSonera, Ericsson sign 5G agreement

Swedish firms plan to deploy 5G in Stockholm and Tallinn in 2018 Swedish companies TeliaSonera and Ericsson signed a strategic partnership through which mobile subscribers in Sweden and Estonia will be able to experience "5G" services in 2018. The two companies plan to develop use cases...

Telenor, TeliaSonera part of 1800 MHz spectrum auction

Norwegian regulator Nkom running the carrier auction process The Norwegian Communications Authority (Nkom) plans to hold the second phase of its 1800 MHz spectrum auction later this month, the regulator said in a statement. In the second phase of the process, mobile operators Telenor and TeliaSonera...

Cloud solution from ItsOn selected by MTN Group

Cloud services include contextual marketing, mobile commerce ItsOn, which provides cloud automation and virtualization services, announced an agreement with the biggest operator in Africa aimed at driving revenue through personalized content and service delivery. MTN Group picked ItsOn technology to help launch new services geared toward...

BT selects Openet’s charging solution for MVNO venture

Openet’s BSS to allow the launch of new mobile services Irish company Openet, a provider of real-time business support systems, today announced U.K. operator BT installed its network functions virtualization-ready Evolved Charging solution to monetize its consumer mobile service. With its new mobile virtual network operator...

Swisscom tests DSL, LTE bonding to offer higher speeds

Swiss telco plans to use the test to evaluate future commercial launch Network operator Swisscom announced it's currently testing a combination of its fixed-line and mobile networks to offer higher speeds for subscribers. The European telco said it's testing DSL/LTE bonding with selected residential customers across...

BT to provide cloud services to the European Commission

The four-year cloud contracts have a total value of more than $26 million U.K. telecommunications group BT won two contracts with the European Commission for the provisioning of public and private cloud services across 52 major European institutions, agencies and bodies. Some of the agencies included...

Telefonica plans to spin-off 11,500 towers and datacenter unit

Spanish operator aims to complete the process this year Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica is working on the spinoff of its domestic infrastructure unit, Reuters reported. The European telco may decide to list the new company or sell a minority stake at the new firm during the...

Bouygues Telecom biz assets get interest from Coriolis

French MVNO aims to launch negotiations this week French mobile virtual network operator Coriolis Telecom is interested in acquiring the business assets of Bouygues Telecom, French newspaper Les Echos reported. “We will have the critical mass to offer a real alternative to the future duopoly in...

Telecom Italia receives three offers for stake in Inwit

Telco aims to close deal in June; bids from Cellnex, F2i, others Telecom Italia received three non-binding offers for the company’s 45% stake in telecoms tower unit Inwit, Italian newspaper La Stampa reported.   According to the report, Telecom Italia expects to complete a transaction by...

Telecom Italia denies merger talks with Brazil’s Oi

European telco operates in Brazil through its TIM unit Italian telecommunications group Telecom Italia confirmed the company was not in talks with Brazilian telecoms operator Oi to merge assets in the Brazilian market. The European telco said there were no formal or informal negotiations with...

Orange to launch mobile banking service

French telco plans to launch Orange Bank in 2017 with partner Groupama French telecommunications company Orange and compatriot insurance firm Groupama are currently negotiating a partnership to develop a new banking model. The negotiations could result in Orange acquiring a 65% stake in Groupama Banque,...