Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: superfast flies in France; BT to update on G.fast trials; we need to talk about TalkTalk.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

September 4, 2015

2 Min Read
Eurobites: Anite in OSS Tie-Up With Nokia

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: superfast flies in France; BT to update on G.fast trials; we need to talk about TalkTalk.

  • UK-based testing specialist Anite plc has signed an agreement with Nokia Networks which gives it access to the Finnish giant's OSS interfaces. The agreement forms part of the Operations Support Systems interoperability initiative (OSSii), which is intended to enable easier interoperability between different OSS systems. The deal should mean that Anite's Nemo range of products can accurately analyze wireless network data in their customer's LTE networks.

    • Superfast broadband (30 Mbit/s and beyond) is on the march in France, according to the latest figures from regulator Arcep . In the second quarter of 2015, the number of superfast subscriptions increased by 280,000 to reach 3.8 million, which equates to 1.5 million additional subscriptions since the same time last year. Of these, 150,000 were signing up for speeds of 100 Mbit/s and above. In terms of fiber rollout, 4.7 million homes are now within reach of a FTTH service, which is a 39% year-on-year increase.

    • BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA) is already getting set to update the industry on its progress in its trials of G.fast, the technology that allows fixed network operators to squeeze more speed out of their copper lines. The trials cover 4,000 premises in the towns of Huntingdon (in Cambridgeshire) and Gosforth (in Newcastle-upon-Tyne) and the results will inform BT's initial deployment strategy. In late September, Peter Bell, director of network portfolio at the UK operator, will deliver a keynote presentation focused on BT's G.fast developments at the Gigabit Europe conference in Munich (September 29 & 30). A few weeks later, BT executives will discuss its broadband plans and update on the G.fast trials at the Broadband World Forum in London. (See Eurobites: BT Boasts 330 Mbit/s With G.fast Field Trial.)

    • What does the future hold for UK value broadband provider TalkTalk ? That's the question being posed in today's Daily Telegraph, which claims that TalkTalk has been left on the sidelines of the ongoing M&A action among UK telcos, despite its owner's apparent willingness to sell. The report points out that TalkTalk's pay-TV offer is coming under pressure from the likes of BT and Sky as competition intensifies in that sector and new, no-commitment streaming options -- such as Sky's Now TV -- emerge.

      — 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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