The Romanian capital of Bucharest was reported to have seen off competition from six other European cities to host a new EU cybersecurity center, reports BalkanInsight. Funded by the EU, the center will focus on developing technologies that can counter cyberattacks, according to the report. Other cities that had been in the running were Brussels, Munich, Warsaw, Vilnius, Luxembourg and León in Spain. Bogdan Aurescu, Romania's foreign minister, grabbed the Twitter opportunity to boast about "Romanian expertise in IT" as he applauded the decision.

Slovak Telekom, majority owned by Germany's Deutsche Telekom, switched on a 5G service in parts of Bratislava, reports the Slovak Spectator. The update comes two weeks after the country's four mobile operators – Slovak Telekom, Orange, O2 and Swan Mobile – paid about €100 million (US$121 million) for spectrum licenses in the 700MHz, 900MHz and 1800MHz frequency bands.

A 5G tower erected in the UK city of Southampton has met with an angry reaction from local residents, reports the Southern Daily Echo. The 20m-high mast was reportedly described as "hideous" and an "eyesore" by locals, some of whom complained that local authorities had erected the mast without any consultation. Photographic evidence in the story makes it hard to disagree with the unflattering descriptions, showing a structure that looks more like one of those drop towers at amusement parks than anything from the telecom world. Perhaps this is just the price we must pay for high-speed mobile connectivity.

— Iain Morris, International Editor, Light Reading