Airborne connectivity has received a boost with the launch of live testing of the European Aviation Network (EAN), which brings together Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK), Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT), Inmarsat plc (London: ISAT) and Thales SA (Paris: TCFP.PA) in an effort to achieve better broadband for airline passengers. A test flight was conducted in the UK and a live over-the-air connection achieved in Germany, thanks to the adaptation of Nokia's LTE basestations and remote radio heads to the frequency used for the EAN, provided by Inmarsat. During the flight, tests were performed to see if the network could successfully attach to the ground system, which it did at all four test sites located in the south west of the UK, according to Nokia.

Russian operators Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (MTS) (NYSE: MBT) and VimpelCom Ltd. (NYSE: VIP) have announced the start of their spectrum-sharing in the Cherepovetz, a town in the Vologda region, in a move which they claim will allow them to boost data transfer speeds to a maximum of 150 Mbit/s. Over the next year the pair plan to unite their LTE networks in more than 30 regions, reducing the cost of basestation construction and management.

Openet Telecom Ltd. , the Ireland-based BSS vendor, has launched a business unit dedicated to delivering virtualized services. Openet Accelerate will be based at Openet's Dublin headquarters.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading