Eurobites: Orange, Telefónica combine on cross-border 5G autobahnEurobites: Orange, Telefónica combine on cross-border 5G autobahn

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Elisa optimizes energy storage; more Brussels ear-bending; LightSpeed does deal with Neos Networks.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

January 16, 2025

3 Min Read
German autobahn at night
(Source: Smileus Images/Alamy Stock Photo)

Orange and Telefónica are among the organizations collaborating on the creation of a cross-border 5G highway corridor connecting Metz in France to Saarbrücken in Germany over a 60km stretch. In France, Totem and Orange will install nine new masts and upgrade up to eight existing masts to ensure dedicated 5G coverage on the 3.5GHz frequency. In Germany, Vantage Towers and O2 Telefónica will deploy up to five radio masts using a distributed antenna system (DAS) on the 3.6GHz frequency. It is hoped that the project will enable the development of a range of mobility-related services, including cooperative lane-changing, collision prevention, automatic congestion alerts and the testing of (partially) autonomous vehicles.

Elisa optimizes power storage

Finnish operator Elisa is contributing an AI management system to a sand battery project, where a heat storage system is currently under construction and will supply district heating company Loviisan Lämpö. The battery will lower district heating emissions in Pornainen (east of Helsinki) by 70% and the system from Elisa will be used to maximize its profitability by determining times when it's the cheapest to charge it using electricity from the grid. The company is currently using a similar system to generate revenue from backup batteries at its basestations. (See Elisa squeezes cash out of its batteries through flexibility and Elisa to begin selling its energy-management software to other telcos.)

Nokia and Ericsson on Brussels duty

It's turning out to be a busy week in Brussels' ear-bending department. After a gaggle of telco CEOs met up with European Commission bigwig Teresa Ribera on Tuesday, today it's the turn of Nokia and Ericsson bosses, Pekka Lundmark and Börje Ekholm respectively, to plead their case for a more supportive regulatory environment at an "Ambition for Europe" summit in the presence of, among other notables, Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission EVP for tech sovereignty. SAP CEO Christian Klein and ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet are also on hand to lend their support to the cause. (See Eurobites: ETNO, GSMA lean on EU (again).)

LightSpeed extends reach with Neos Networks

UK broadband provider LightSpeed is extending its network reach through an agreement with Neos Networks. The partnership will allow LightSpeed to expand into new regions such as North Staffordshire and connect to data centers in London, Manchester and Birmingham. Neos is providing LightSpeed with a number of connectivity options, including dark fiber, 100Gbit/s and 10Gbit/s optical links, and backhaul services.

Ofcom plans to tighten up complaints procedures

Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, has proposed a shorter timeframe for the resolution of telco customer complaints. If Ofcom gets its way, customers will only have to wait six instead of eight weeks before they can escalate their unresolved telecom complaints to an alternative dispute resolution scheme (ADR). ADR schemes are independent bodies that carry out impartial assessments of unresolved complaints between a customer and their communications provider. The move follows an Ofcom review launched in 2023, which found that while ADR rules were generally working well, "targeted changes" were needed. (See Eurobites: VMO2 pounded by Ofcom's complaints police and Eurobites: Vodafone cops a Q2 complaints calamity.)

KPN turns to the sun

KPN has begun getting power from the Kabeljauwbeek solar farm in the Netherlands. The facility's 88,000 solar panels have been built around an existing wind farm, and as wind and sun generally do not occur at the same time, this set-up makes better use of the electrical connection, says KPN. The operator says it will draw around 47 gigawatt hours of solar energy per year from the facility, which is run by Eneco.

New figures on old phones

New research from Virgin Media O2 has revealed that only one in ten Brits has traded in a smartphone in the last five years, with a quarter of them believing that chucking an unwanted phone into a bin, local tip or skip counts as "responsible" disposal. Sigh.

Additional reporting by Tereza Krásová.

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About the Author

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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