Eurobites: Telia completes job-shedding 'change program'Eurobites: Telia completes job-shedding 'change program'

Nordic operator Telia says it has completed its previously announced "change program," an exercise that saw the axing of 3,000 jobs and the introduction of a more decentralized organizational structure. As of this month, each Telia country unit – Sweden, Finland, Norway, Lithuania and Estonia – will have to stand on its own two feet, being accountable for commercial planning and execution and pursuing growth opportunities. Previously centralized functions such as IT and analytics have shifted to the respective countries to help make this happen. The changes, says Telia, are expected to result in slightly lower restructuring charges than previously anticipated – around 1.3 billion Swedish kroner (US$118 million) rather than SEK1.4 billion ($127 million).

BT has signed a new £1.29 billion ($1.63 billion), seven-year contract with the UK government to provide mobile services for its 4G-based Emergency Services Network (ESN). ESN is the replacement for the TETRA-based Airwave network that was provided by Motorola Solutions, but its introduction has been far from straightforward. Last year the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which scrutinizes state spending, accused the government of throwing "good money after bad" in its pursuance of the ESN project. The PAC also warned that there was a risk that extending the role of EE in the project may replicate some of the issues that previously plagued Airwave. EE has built a new dedicated core network for ESN and upgraded more than 19,500 of EE's existing 4G sites.

A partnership between Cellnex, Bristol City Council and Virgin Media O2 is set to bring improved connectivity for residents of the English city of Bristol on O2's mobile network. The council has allowed Cellnex to install small cells on the city's lampposts, with 12 sites out of an eventual 25 already completed. Cellnex has around 1,200 small cells deployed across the UK.

Raxio Group, the African data center operator, has appointed Robert Skjødt as its new CEO. Skjødt arrives at Raxio from BTE, a pan-African renewable energy company. He will lead Raxio's next phase of expansion, which sees it planning to at least double its presence across the continent within the next three years.

Germany's network regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, has issued a warning about the use of smart devices such as smart toys or robot vacuum cleaners, reminding potential users that if these devices can create audio or video recordings without anyone noticing and send them to other devices – such as the owner's smartphone – they are breaking the law. The regulator points out that the market is now awash with smart products that could be used for nefarious purposes, a flower basket with in-built spy camera being just one example.