Vodafone has crossed the line first in the race to bring 4G to Spain, launching commercial services in the 1800MHz and 2600MHz bands in ​​Bilbao, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Seville and Valencia as from Wednesday. Rival Yoigo had previously claimed it would be first to market with LTE servcies in Spain. (See Euronews: TeliaSonera Wins Spanish 4G Race.)

Google is planning to finance and build mobile networks across swathes of sub-Saharan African and South-East Asia, according to a Reuters report that cites the Wall Street Journal. The plans could include the use of high-altitude balloons to transmit signals over large areas. Does this signal the return of the 'dirigible' mobile schemes? We hope so -- we love a big balloon...

Deutsche Telekom is contemplating two significant deals in eastern Europe, reports Telecompaper (subscription required). One centers on the possible acquisition of GTS Central Europe, for around €600 million (US$775.9 million); the other on acquiring the outstanding 40 percent stake of its T-Mobile Czech Republic a.s. unit that private equity firm Mid Europa Partners recently put up for sale.

The European Commission has begun an investigation into the demands that Apple Inc. places on European operators in relation to iPhone contracts, reports the Daily Telegraph. The move comes after several mobile operators complained about Apple's tactics to the Commission earlier this year.

Ericsson has signed a three-year billing deal with T-Mobile Poland, covering application development and maintenance. (See Ericsson Wins Billing Deal.)

France's Bouygues Telecom is using NEC Corp.'s Cloud Service Broker to offer cloud services to small and medium-sized businesses. (See Bouygues Offers SMB Cloud Services With NEC.)— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading