Telecom Italia (TIM) is to deploy Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) ASR 9000 routers as part of its ongoing Optical Packet Metro upgrade. TIM says the SDN-enabled routers will "enable greater operational efficiency" and, through the provision of 100GigE connections, help manage growing volumes of video and data traffic, as well as support "the adoption of 5G." The deployment is part of the Italian incumbent's €5 billion (US$5.7 billion), three-year "ultra-broadband" network modernization plan that also involves mobile and fixed broadband access network upgrades. (See Telecom Italia Renaissance Gathers Pace.)

Net Insight AB (Stockholm: NETI-B), the Swedish media delivery specialist, is reporting another disappointing quarter, with sales down 30% compared with the year-earlier period. The company is now expecting second-quarter net sales to reach 90 to 95 million Swedish kronor ($10.5-$11.1 million), and an operating loss in the range of SEK25-30 million ($2.9-$3.5 million). Net Insight attributes the earnings downturn to various factors, including its live OTT technology testing initiative and a hesitancy among prospective customers in the face of a changing media landscape.

The Paris Court of Appeal has upheld the decision of French regulator Arcep regarding the dispute between rival operators Free and Orange (NYSE: FTE). At issue were the prices Orange was charging Free for services used to backhaul traffic from Free's mobile basestations over a fiber connection. ARCEP had come down on the side of Free, having concluded that some of the charges "ran counter to the objectives of fair and effective competition that is beneficial to users." The Court of Appeal has now rejected Orange's appeal and validated the original decision, citing reasons of "investment and motivation for technological progress" to justify its ruling.

BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA) has secured the broadcast rights to live action from the European Rugby Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup in the UK and Ireland, starting from the 2018/19 season and continuing until at 2021/22. Since its launch in 2013, the BT Sport channel has broadcast live Aviva Premiership rugby alongside its other top-flight sports offerings such as Champions League soccer, though it has received criticism in some quarters for what it has been prepared to pay to outbid Sky, its main rival in this market sector. (See BT Splashes $1.5B to Beat Sky in Latest Soccer Rights Battle.)

But is this big spending on TV sports rights going largely to waste? The BBC reports the findings of a survey which reveals that more than a third of English Premier League soccer fans say they regularly watch matches live online for free via unofficial streams, sometimes using controversial equipment such as Kodi set-top boxes. Just under a third of the fans surveyed claim not to know whether it is illegal or not to stream live Premier League matches from unofficial providers.

Salt SA , the Swiss mobile operator owned by Iliad founder Xavier Niel, has increased the capacity of several of its basestations, gearing up for the arrival of what Salt is calling 4G+ technology, a.k.a. LTE-Advanced. According to the operator, Salt customers in the cities of Basel, Zurich, Geneva and Lugano will experience significant capacity improvements as a result of the upgrade.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading