Uzbek mobile operator Ucell has chosen Russia's Nexign to replace its billing system. The project is expected to be completed in the second half of 2021.

Proximus has done a deal with fellow Belgian provider Citymesh, allowing the latter to offer mobile and fixed telecom services to its customers over the Proximus network. Citymesh, which is hoping to extend its reach in the B2B market, specializes in the planning, installation and maintenance of large-scale, complex and high-density Wi-Fi networks as well as the construction of private 4G and 5G networks.

Telecom Italia (TIM) has signed up to a government voucher scheme that is intended to boost the uptake of "ultra-broadband" in Italy. As from today, all TIM customers without an ultra-broadband connection and that meet the required economic criteria will have access to the €500 ($593) bonus to set up an Internet connection of at least 30 Mbit/s, as well as buy a tablet or PC. The scheme is managed by Infratel Italia.

A new report from Telia and Arthur D Little concludes that the use of public transport in the Nordics and the Baltics could be boosted by 18% through the use of IoT and data insights technology. In recent years, say the report's backers, the use of public transport has stagnated while costs have continued to rise: Digital transformation of the sector could change this, they believe.

The European Commission is warning online retail giants that they must prepare for a fresh wave of consumer scams on their platforms as rogue traders and outright criminals look to use the pandemic for financial gain by touting false cures for the coronavirus and other such knavery. As Reuters reports, Amazon, Alibaba and Facebook were among those liaising with the Commission in an attempt to bolster their defenses.

Vector Photonics has landed a £280,000 ($368,000) grant from the UK government's Sustainable Innovation Fund to validate its semiconductor laser technology in datacoms applications such cloud data centers and the connected-car industry.

Subscribers to Virgin Media's, ahem, "Ultimate Oomph" broadband bundle are to receive a "free" upgrade from 516 Mbit/s to 636 Mbit/s. The UK cable operator expects the upgrade rollout to be completed by the end of February.

While working from home may be virtually mandatory in the UK right now, BT is banking on things changing by early 2022, because that is when it plans to open a new office building in Bristol, in the UK's West Country. The Assembly Bristol building on the city's waterfront, expected to be completed next year, will have capacity for more than 2,000 employees. In a nod to greener commuting, the building will offer more than 250 cycle spaces as well as showers and changing facilities. All that and a roof terrace too.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading