Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Bouygues remains buoyant; CityFibre extends in Brighton; BT resells Illumio's micro-segmentation tech.
Nokia has landed a multi-year 5G radio and core contract with A1 Austria, with the core element expected to be rolled out in the first half of this year. A1 also plans to launch 4G and 5G network slicing commercially following what Nokia says was a successful pilot. It's by no means the first time the two companies have worked together; Nokia previously helped A1 with the expansion of its 3G, 4G and fiber networks.
France's Bouygues Telecom saw full-year sales rise 6% year-on-year, to €6.4 billion (US$7.7 billion), despite the drop in roaming revenue brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. EBITDA (after leases) was also up 6%, to €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion). In terms of customers, Bouygues saw growth in both its mobile and fixed segments, the former up 955,000 and the latter up 247,000 year-on-year.
Bouygues Telecom has also decided to combine the functions of the chairman and CEO into one role. Richard Viel, who has been with Bouygues since 1998 and was already CEO, steps into the combined role. Olivier Roussat, the previous chairman, has resigned, though he continues as CEO of the entire Bouygues group.
UK altnet CityFiber has begun work on an £80 million ($111.5 million) extension of its fiber network in the city of Brighton & Hove on England's south coast. CityFibre will start digging in the Bevendean district, with the rest of the city set to follow over the next four to five years.
Ericsson says it has expanded its Network Design & Optimization (NDO) portfolio with something called Operations Engine Cognitive Software, which apparently uses "deep learning algorithms" to gain insights into network performance and customer experience. It's already had a run-out in Japan and China where, according to Ericsson, it has brought about "up 30% increased operational efficiency in optimization activities."
BT has added Illumio Core to its cybersecurity lineup, adding a dash of micro-segmentation which, for the uninitiated, is a network security technique that allows the data center to be divided into distinct segments that get their own dedicated controls.
— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading
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