Ciena deepens its software strategy with offerings to help service providers sell VNFs on demand to enterprises.

Industry attention on 2.5GBit/s and 5Gbit/s Ethernet is heating up, but the emergence of two vendor groups, one boasting Brocade and the other Cisco, threatens to slow down interoperability.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Skype co-founder launches new multimedia-messaging app; Swisscom's network wins praise, and prize; Gulf contracts row.

China commits to private broadband networks – but with limits.

New Heavy Reading research shows that service providers still have work to do in improving order management for business services customers.

When it comes to Gigabit broadband, CenturyLink means business.

Sprint's promotion to halve the service pricing plans of those switching from AT&T or Verizon isn't as good as it seems when you factor in the new device requirements.

Time Warner Cable has passed the $3 billion mark for business services revenue in 2014.

Commercial services revenues are flowing for cable operators, but VIP customers in segments such as healthcare still need convincing that MSOs can deliver the business services they need.

UK mobile operator plans to reach connectivity-starved remote villages with wireless links that make use of its existing licensed spectrum assets.

Vendor will provide its dual-mode LTE small cell system for Verizon's enterprise customers and public venue deployments.

NTT DoCoMo loads up the crustacean cannon for a really blazing 4G ad.

'Networks are back!' is one of the key messages from Alcatel-Lucent CEO Michel Combes, who also talks about the vendor's financial rehabilitation.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Finland gets LTE in the 450MHz band; Sky prepares for possible M&A action; Millicom seeks new CEO.

Heavy Reading prediction kicks off annual New York event for cable business services sector that highlights continued market growth and success.

Video startup Layer3 TV has signed a deal to implement SeaChange's Nucleus video gateway software, which is built on top of RDK.

Vendor's rebranded mobile malware software, Motive Security Guardian, is now being offered in the cloud.

The soaring bids for the FCC's AWS-3 auction will likely impact its planned Incentive auction and carrier capex plans, among other things.

Bell Labs President Marcus Weldon, who is also Alcatel-Lucent CTO, talks about the network of 2020, the role of R&D and his recent brush with U2's Bono.

Alticast provided much of the software and systems integration work behind Videotron's new X8 multi-room DVR.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Altice confirms offer for Portugal Telecom; Orange tests three-carrier aggregation in Poland; AlcaLu's 400G job in Algeria.

Fast-growing cloud service platform providers such as AppDirect bring telcos closer to their business customers.