Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Slovenian sale slipping away; LG granted Nokia smartphone license; IoT startup raises $25 million.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

June 16, 2015

2 Min Read
Eurobites: Vodafone, Huawei Target the Enterprise

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Slovenian sale slipping away; LG granted Nokia smartphone license; IoT startup raises $25 million.

  • Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. has formed a strategic alliance with Vodafone Group plc (NYSE: VOD)'s Global Enterprise unit, with a focus on the enterprise market in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific. Initial areas of collaboration include the use of Huawei's fixed/mobile convergence capabilities, in-building coverage offerings, M2M, Internet of Things and cloud data centers. (See Huawei Strikes Strategic Alliance With Vodafone Global Enterprise.)

    • Slovenian authorities were reported to have rejected a new bid for Telekom Slovenije from investment group Cinven Ltd. , claiming the sale posed too great a risk. According to Bloomberg, Cinven has blamed a regulatory dispute in Macedonia, where Telekom Slovenije is present, for the setback. The investment group was said to have previously amended its offer to reflect concern over the situation in Macedonia. Telekom Slovenije is one of several state-owned assets the current administration has put up for sale, but there is now concern a deal may fall through entirely.

    • South Korea's LG Electronics Inc. (London: LGLD; Korea: 6657.KS) has become Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK)'s first major smartphone patent licensee since the Finnish company sold its devices business to software giant Microsoft last year. Nokia says that about 60 organizations are now licensing its 2G, 3G and 4G technologies. The company still generates the bulk of its revenues from its Networks business but is optimistic the Technologies division, which is responsible for R&D and licensing activities, can become a major contributor to sales in future.

    • IoT specialist Actility has raised US$25 million in a funding round led by Ginko Ventures, KPN Telecom NV (NYSE: KPN), Orange (NYSE: FTE), Swisscom AG (NYSE: SCM) and Foxconn Electronics Inc. It will use the money to launch its ThingPark IoT platform, a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) radio network built on the LoRaWAN standard. (See IoT Specialist Actility Raises $25M.)

      — 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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