Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Ericsson plays part in connected car breakthrough; Allot revenues slide in Q4; Coriant lands South African deal; OBS goes to sea.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

February 7, 2017

3 Min Read
Eurobites: BT Defends Android in EU Battle

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Ericsson plays part in connected car breakthrough; Allot revenues slide in Q4; Coriant lands South African deal; OBS goes to sea.

  • BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA) is sticking up for Google (Nasdaq: GOOG)'s Android in the face of the hostility to the operating system's pre-eminence shown by the European Commission, Reuters reports. A spokesman for BT told Reuters that its legal team had written to the Commission, telling them that "BT is free to pre-install its own or third party apps on devices alongside pre-loaded Google apps," and defending the "stability and compatibility" of Android. The EU has threatened to fine Google over what some have alleged is the abuse of Android's dominant position in the market, and its habit of paying smartphone makers to pre-install Google's Play Store with Google Search on their devices. (See Eurobites: Brussels Gunning for Google Over Android Dominance.)

    • Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC), in partnership with SK Telecom (Nasdaq: SKM) and carmaker BMW Korea, is claiming to have achieved the world's fastest 5G speed for a connected car -- 3.6 Gbit/s, on a connected vehicle traveling at a speed of 170km/h (105mph). SK Telecom says its advanced beamforming and beam-tracking technologies helped it address the traditional limitations of millimeter wave bands. The demonstration took place at a BMW driving center located in Yeongjong Island, Incheon.

    • Allot Ltd. (Nasdaq: ALLT), the Israel-based security software vendor, saw revenues slip to $23.5 million in the fourth quarter, down from $25.4 million in the year-earlier period. Net profit, however, was $0.9 million, compared to a net loss of $10.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2015. Total revenues for the year were $90.5 million, compared to $100.3 million in 2015. Looking ahead, Allot expects 2017 revenues to fall somewhere in the $80-$84 million range.

    • Coriant has landed a deal with Broadband Infraco, which provides wholesale services in South Africa. Broadband Infraco will use Coriant's mTera Universal Transport Platform to upgrade its nationwide fiber optic backbone network.

    • Telecom Italia Sparkle has joined forces with NetIX, the Sofia-based Internet Ethernet Exchange, to offer its Seabone IP Transit service to Net IX's members. Sparkle hopes that the move will help it draw new customers from among the NetIX membership.

    • Orange Business Services has been asked by shipping firm Arkas Line to provide to provide connectivity and security services across its international fleet. OBS will supply a hybrid network that combines terrestrial and satellite-based connectivity as well as managed security and VPN Internet to connect 11 vessels and 25 land-based sites.

    • Gamma Telecom Ltd. , a UK business services provider, has signed an access agreement with CityFibre that will allow it to connect 15 data centers and exchanges across the UK over CityFibre's long-distance and metro networks. The dark fiber in question runs for 1,300km between the cities of London and Manchester.

    • IoT platform operator Teleena has signed a partnership agreement with Aerea, the Dutch Sigfox network operator. The deal will allow Teleena's customers to reap the benefits of Sigfox's worldwide connectivity. Sigfox has developed a proprietary wireless technology running on unlicensed spectrum that can be used to connect objects such as smart meters.

      — 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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