4G whizz! Earlier this week UK operator EE announced that it had surpassed the 2 million mark in terms of 4G customers, and now, according to a Reuters report, it seems the French are mad for 4G too, with Orange (NYSE: FTE), SFR , and Bouygues Telecom all claiming to have 1 million punters signed up to their respective 4G services. Cut-price rival Free Mobile , however, remained coy about its 4G numbers. (See Euronews: EE Hits 2M Mark With 4G, Free Disrupts French Mobile Market.)

South Africa's Telkom SA Ltd. (NYSE/Johannesburg: TKG) is planning to fire up to 1,000 managers and an unspecified number of lower-level workers as part of cost-cutting measures instigated by CEO Sipho Maseko, reports Bloomberg. Apparently, free bottled water and Christmas parties for employees are also on the kill list.

The growing influence of smartphones and tablets has been clearly demonstrated in figures produced by the British Retail Consortium, which found a year-on-year 19.2% increase in December online shopping purchases in the UK, reports the BBC. Considering this Interweb shopping thing has been around for some time now, that's a heck of a rise.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading