Eurobites: Ericsson and O2 Telefónica demo 5G Cloud RAN in Germany

South African operator Vodacom, which operates in a number of African markets, reported group revenues jumped in Q1, following the acquisition of Vodafone Egypt from its parent company Vodafone. Group revenues reached 35.7 billion South African rand (US$2 billion), representing a 36.9% reported increase. Revenues from financial services reached ZAR3 billion ($170 million), with $1 billion transacted every day on Vodacom's mobile money platforms.

South African operator Telkom has, meanwhile, won a court case against the country's president and the wide-reaching anti-corruption probe he ordered. The investigation would have examined deals made by Telkom across the continent, going back 15 years. The court, however, ruled the probe unconstitutional.

UK operator BT and satellite company OneWeb are using the latter company's low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to bring reliable Internet to Lundy island in North Devon. Apart from supporting local payment systems, the technology will also be used to advance marine conservation efforts.

In other UK news, investment in 4G mobile masts in rural areas generates enough social benefits to break even within 15 years, according to a report from consultancy FarrPoint, making it economically viable. The study was created as part of a £28.75 million ($37 million) Scottish government project to bring 4G to previously underserved areas. It also found that 4G can reduce emissions and the mast reaches a CO2 emission breakeven point after six years.

Portuguese telecommunications company Nos has launched two 5G augmented reality products that aim to improve shopping experiences. The first allows shoppers to visualize items by generating full-sized digital models, while the other shows how an alarm system would look in the customer's home.

The French regulator Arcep has ruled SFR and Bouygues can include 5G in their network sharing agreement and increase network density of the shared network. Both companies applied to Arecp in March to amend the deal, which they signed in 2014 and is valid for a period of 20 years.

— Tereza Krásová, Associate Editor, Light Reading