Orange (NYSE: FTE), Etisalat and Telenor Group (Nasdaq: TELN) are under starter's orders for today's trot through the EMEA telecom headlines.

France Telecom's CEO, Stephane Richard, has told the French National Assembly that the operator plans to double its investment in fiber networks to €300-500 million (US$394-657 million) in 2012, reports Reuters. France Telecom faces increasing competition domestically, not least from Iliad (Euronext: ILD), the recent -- and cut-price -- entrant into the mobile market that's already a tough rival in the triple play fixed services market. (See Iliad Disrupts the French Mobile Scene , Euronews: FT Teams Up for FTTH, Euronews: FT Does 100G With AlcaLu and Euronews: France Telecom Outlines Masterplan.)

Etisalat, the UAE-based operator, has been hit hard by today's decision by India's Supreme Court to revoke 122 licenses issued in the "scam" sale of 2008, reports Arabian Business. Licenses issued at the time to Etisalat DB Telecom India PVT Ltd. , the joint venture between Etisalat and India's DB group, now appear worthless but there are moves in India to enable the re-issue of some licenses to existing holders. Separately, Etisalat is inviting bids for its tower business in Africa, Reuters reports. The operator owns around 4,500 towers in the increasingly mobile-friendly continent. (See India: Never a Dull Moment, India's Former Telecom Minister Arrested and India 'Scandal' Update.)

Etisalat is not the only EMEA operator affected by the Indian judgement: Norway's Telenor, through its Uninor mobile unit (in which it owns a 67.25 percent stake), will also have a license headache to deal with. (See Indian Court Cancels Uninor Licenses.)

Nordic Long Term Evolution (LTE) pioneer Telia Company has posted its fourth-quarter and full-year results, with full-year net sales (in reported currency) down 2.5 percent year-on-year to 104.3 billion Swedish kronor ($15.4 billion), and full-year net income down 13.7 percent to SEK 18.3 billion ($2.7 billion). (See TeliaSonera Full-Year Sales Fall 2.5%, Euro Carriers Get Cozy With Network Sharing and TeliaSonera: No Free VoIP on Our 4G.)

PacketFront AB , the Sweden-based purveyor of access gear, is selling its CPE unit to Genexis B.V. , a Dutch company. Financial details were not disclosed. (See PacketFront Sells CPE Division, PacketFront Boasts Profit in 2011 and PacketFront Wins FTTH Deal in Norway.)

The latest piece of research from U.K. regulator Ofcom reveals that Britain's average residential downstream broadband speeds rose 22 percent in 12 months, with 7.6 Mbit/s being the blazin' yardstick in November 2011. Virgin Media Inc. (Nasdaq: VMED) continued to do well in the speed stakes, its average of 49 Mbit/s downstream trumping BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA)'s 36 Mbit/s in the fiber service tier. (See UK Broadband Speeds up 22% in a Year and Great Britain? I Don't Think So.)

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading