The line between broadcasting and social networking continues to blur: On Thursday BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA) is to "simulcast" live the NBA Global Games London 2017 between the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers on its Facebook page as well as on its (free-to-air) BT Sport Showcase channel. BT promises that the live Facebook stream will feature the league's "NBA Mobile View" feed, delivering a closer shot of the action tailored for viewing on smaller screens.

Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT) is to introduce in-flight WiFi-based Internet access on short and mid-range flights in Europe, initially through a collaboration with Inmarsat plc (London: ISAT) on selected Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines airplanes. In time the service will be extended to cover the entire Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings fleets in Europe. The telco has plugged itself into the satellite-based Global Xpress service, as well as the Inmarsat-led European Aviation Network to enable it to extend its in-flight Internet offer. The telco has been offering Internet access on its inter-continental flights since 2010.

Italian tax authorities are considering a proposal from Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) to pay between €270 million (US$283.6 million) and €280 million ($294.2 million) to settle a tax dispute, according to a Reuters report. The report says that last year the authorities presented the search giant with a bill for €227 million ($238.5 million) in unpaid taxes, covering the period 2009-2013.

Orange Business Services has landed a three-year contract with car hire firm Hertz to connect the latter's hourly rental vehicles with OBS's Datavenue IoT offering. The service will be provided in seven European countries, and is aimed primarily at corporate users.

The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has created a new Industry Specification Group (ISG) focusing on context information management (CIM), the discipline that seeks to make more sense of smart city data by placing it in context. The first meeting of ISG CIM is scheduled for February 9-10 in Sophia Antipolis, France.

The enterprise unit of UK broadband provider TalkTalk has a new chief operating officer, with Duncan Gooding replacing Dean Branton. Gooding, who will report to the company's general manager, Kristine Olson-Chapman, joined TalkTalk Business in 2012 as director of major accounts.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading