Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Google helps cut data use in Africa; Deutsche Telekom invests in Israeli IoT startup; Nokia and Telia put the 5G into Industry 4.0.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

April 12, 2018

3 Min Read
Eurobites: Telefónica, Etisalat Form Security Alliance With Asian Giants

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Google helps cut data use in Africa; Deutsche Telekom invests in Israeli IoT startup; Nokia and Telia put the 5G into Industry 4.0.

  • EMEA operators Telefónica and Etisalat have joined up with Asia's SoftBank Corp. and Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (SingTel) (OTC: SGTJY) to create what they describe as the first global telco cybersecurity alliance, one that will offer enterprises a range of cybersecurity services. Under the terms of the agreement, the group will share network intelligence on cyber threats and draw on their joint global security strengths to offer what they hope will be an irresistible proposition to businesses worldwide. Between them, the group's members operate 22 security operations centers (SoCs) and employ more than 6,000 cybersecurity experts.

    • Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) has released a new app in Africa that it says will allow users to browse the Internet without burning up quite so much data. The app, as Business Tech reports, uses Google's "advanced compression algorithm", which the search giant says uses 40% less data to display search results. Google Go, as the app is called, will be available in 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

    • Axonize, an Israeli startup specializing in IoT services based on Microsoft Azure, has secured an unspecified but "substantial" investment from Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT) as part of a $6 million funding round. In a statement, DT said: "Axonize has developed a unique IoT orchestration platform which addresses our and our customers' IoT requirements."

    • Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) and Telia claim they have completed the first "real-world" trial of industrial applications of 5G for manufacturing at Nokia's basestation factory in Oulu, Finland. Described as an example of "Industry 4.0" in action, the trial saw Nokia and Telia working with Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) and Finnish software startup Finwe to take advantage of 5G's ultra-low latency and high bandwidth capabilities within a manufacturing context. In one test, the Finwe video application was used to monitor and analyze a video feed of a particular process on one assembly line, using "machine learning" to alert the assembly line operator of any potential inconsistencies.

    • Arqiva , the UK towers company, is teaming up with Telefónica UK Ltd. (O2) to deploy up to 300 small cells across London -- one of O2's biggest UK small cell deployments to date, according to Arqiva. The small cells will be deployed on "street assets" such as lampposts, with initial sites in operation by the summer. Arqiva, an independent provider of communications infrastructure, currently has around 8,000 sites across the UK.

    • Swedish cable operator Com Hem AB is launching TV Hub, an Android-based platform that allows users to add their own apps downloaded from the Google Play store. According to Com Hem, the TV Hub combines linear TV with catch-up services in HDR and 4K quality. Its remote control also offers shortcuts to the most popular streaming services, such as Netflix, and Google-powered voice control also features.

    • The UK's takeover regulator has decreed that Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) must make an offer for the whole of Sky if it is successful in buying the assets of 21st Century Fox . As Reuters reports, the Takeover Panel also stipulated that Disney must match Fox's £10.75-a-share offer for any shares in Sky that it does not already own.

      — 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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