Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: BT looks to merge units to save costs; Nokia opens 5G/6G R&D center in Portugal; cyber-extortion on the rise in Europe.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

November 28, 2022

3 Min Read
Eurobites: Vodafone, Deutsche Glasfaser agree wholesale fiber deal

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: BT looks to merge units to save costs; Nokia opens 5G/6G R&D center in Portugal; cyber-extortion on the rise in Europe.

  • Vodafone has signed a ten-year wholesale fiber deal with Deutsche Glasfaser which will give Vodafone access to Deutsche Glasfaser's FTTH network in rural and suburban areas of Germany. Taking effect in the fall of 2023, the deal will potentially bring 6 million additional households into the Vodafone fiber fold. Figure 1: (Source: l_martinez/Alamy Stock Photo) (Source: l_martinez/Alamy Stock Photo)

    • UK operator BT is looking to cut costs by merging its Global Services and Enterprise units, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph (paywall applies). Revenue at both units has been on the slide in recent months, with Enterprise slipping 5% in the first half of the year, the report adds. BT is looking to shave £3 billion (US$3.6 billion) off its costs by the end of 2025. (See BT's post-COVID message to UK: pay us more as we pay you less.)

    • Meanwhile, BT is playing Santa over the festive period by offering its small business customers "cashback" of 10% on Barclaycard payments made for BT or EE products and services from now until January 20. This represents a fivefold increase on the previous (2%) offer.

    • Nokia has opened a new 5G/6G R&D center at its campus in Amadora, Portugal. It is expected that the center will create 100 new jobs across different disciplines over the next two years. The project includes an unspecified contribution from the Portuguese government.

    • A new Security Navigator report from Orange Cyberdefense shows a clear shift in the geographical location of cyber-extortion victims, with fewer in North America but 18% more in Europe in general and 138% more in the Nordic countries in particular compared with the previous year. Manufacturing is the sector most under threat from this type of crime.

    • Italy's new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has put Cabinet Undersecretary Alessio Butti in charge of government broadband strategy, which could spell bad news for Telecom Italia (TIM), Reuters reports. Butti is not a fan of TIM's plan to sell off its landline grid and has called for state-backed lender CDP to take over the ailing operator. (See CPD may delay TIM bid until after Italy's election and TIM soldiers on amid political turmoil.)

    • Africa Data Centres is to build its first facility in Kigali, Rwanda. Boasting 2MW of capacity, it will be linked to ADC's existing site in Nairobi.

    • More pressure is being put on social media giants to act responsibly – and not before time, many would argue. The BBC reports that the UK's forthcoming Online Safety Bill is being updated to make it a criminal offense to encourage self-harm. The move comes in the wake of the tragic death of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who committed suicide in 2017 after viewing reams of self-harm content on Instagram and Pinterest.

      — Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

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About the Author(s)

Paul Rainford

Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

Paul is based on the Isle of Wight, a rocky outcrop off the English coast that is home only to a colony of technology journalists and several thousand puffins.

He has worked as a writer and copy editor since the age of William Caxton, covering the design industry, D-list celebs, tourism and much, much more.

During the noughties Paul took time out from his page proofs and marker pens to run a small hotel with his other half in the wilds of Exmoor. There he developed a range of skills including carrying cooked breakfasts, lying to unwanted guests and stopping leaks with old towels.

Now back, slightly befuddled, in the world of online journalism, Paul is thoroughly engaged with the modern world, regularly firing up his VHS video recorder and accidentally sending text messages to strangers using a chipped Nokia feature phone.

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