In a not wholly unrelated move, Ericsson has also teamed up with Telecom Italia (TIM) to launch the "5G for Italy" program, the aim of which is to create an "open ecosystem" for the research into and implementation of interesting projects made possible by 5G (at least, when everyone decides what it is). The initiative aims to bring together industry, universities, city authorities and others to focus on the development of new, 5G-fueled services. (See Telecom Italia, Ericsson Launch '5G for Italy'.)

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) has supplied the guts of a new IP/MPLS and optical network at Swissgrid, an electricity transmission system operator. The new network provides monitoring and switching for the electricity grid, with the aim of better aligning power supply and demand.

Orange Business Services has signed a five-year deal to provide global network services to Henkel, a German manufacturer of consumer and industrial goods. Henkel will have access to the French operator's portfolio of hybrid network services, including a business VPN offer and a set of managed security services, which will support more than 42,000 Henkel users.

The problem with midsized British companies today is that everyone's using the wrong devices. That, sort of, is the conclusion of a new study from BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA), which found that 45% of respondents felt that not having the right device for the job was hampering efficiency. Further, 17% saw "impeded mobility" as the main problem, and 13% had a particular beef with lack of access to cloud services. Figure 1: He's using the wrong device -- but is he bothered?

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading