Eurobites: German antitrust agency probes Vantage's 1&1 site delays

The German competition authority is to examine potential violations of German and European competition law by Vodafone's Vantage Towers in what the authority views as Vantage Towers' less than cooperative approach to rival 1&1's mast-sharing aspirations. According to the Bundeskartellamt, the provision of the agreed antenna locations for 1&1's mobile network was "massively delayed and continues to be delayed." In a statement on the matter, Bundeskartellamt President Andreas Mundt said: "Powerful and dominant companies must not unfairly impede other companies. We will therefore scrutinise whether there are sound reasons for a delay in the provision of antenna locations for 1&1." 1&1 was supposed to have had 1,000 sites up and running by the end of 2022, but as of May of this year the figure stood at just 20.

The World Health Organization is to adopt the EU's digital approach to the COVID-19 pandemic as the basis for a global system that it hopes will help protect people from health threats while still allowing them to travel safely under certain conditions. One of the key elements in the EU's work against the pandemic has been the digital COVID-19 certificate, which is based on open source technologies and allows for free movement within the EU's borders.

Deutsche Telekom is continuing its journey into the mind-bending maelstrom that is blockchain, joining the Energy Web Foundation – described by DT as "an established ecosystem of energy majors" – in the role of validator for the Foundation's "web chain" or ledger.

Research firm Omdia (which has the same parent company as Light Reading) reckons that revenues from free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) market are on track to reach $42 million by 2028, after having reached $23.5 million last year. Worldwide, FAST channels will generate revenues of $6.3 billion in 2023, Omdia estimates.

UK mobile operator EE is opening a new flagship store in the White City district of London. As well as flogging phones, the store will provide a space where the local community can "work, learn and play," says the operator. The EE Studio, as the store is called, opens on June 16.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading