Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), Vodafone Group plc (NYSE: VOD), Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) and NTT Communications Corp. (NYSE: NTT) are some of the big fish making a splash in today's roundup of telecom tidbits from the EMEA region.

Verizon turned on today a 100-Gigabit Ethernet link for part of its long-haul European IP backbone network between Paris and Frankfurt, covering a distance of 555 miles. The carrier used routers from Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR) and the commercially available 100G Ethernet coherent optical transport system from Ciena Corp. (NYSE: CIEN), which it acquired from Nortel. (See Verizon Deploys 100G Ethernet in Europe, Verizon Does 100GigE in Europe, Verizon Switches On 100G in Europe, Ciena Overhauls Product Names and Verizon's Glen Wellbrock: 100G Update.)

It's a case of "up to" still no good as far as U.K. fixed-line broadband speeds are concerned, according to the latest bulletin from the Ofcom . The regulator has found that while average download speeds have crept up from 5.2 Mbit/s in May 2010 to 6.2 Mbit/s in Nov./Dec. 2010, they remain less than half of the average "up to" speeds advertised by Internet service providers. In its response to the current Committee for Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee for Advertising Practice (BCAP) consultation on broadband speeds promotion, Ofcom is recommending that advertised speeds should be based on a "Typical Speeds Range" (TSR) figure, and not on the ideal-world, if-the-wind-is-blowing-in-the-right-direction fantasy scenario that currently holds sway. (See Ofcom Reveals Real UK Broadband Speeds, ISPs Shamed by UK Broadband Speed Tests, Ofcom Tests Broadband Speeds and 'Up To' No Good.)

Still on the U.K. broadband theme, the independent ThinkBroadband website has declared Be Un Limited the nation's best large ISP in terms of its customer service, one place above its parent company, Telefónica UK Ltd. (See Be Unlimited, AAISP Top Broadband Poll.)

More M2M (machine-to-machine) action is in the offing with the announcement of a partnership between Bosch and Vodafone. Bosch, best known generally as a purveyor of high-end power tools and washing machines, is also a specialist in sensors and workflow processes, and the collaboration with the mobile giant will aim to offer companies a way of making it easier to manage products with embedded SIM cards. (See Vodafone, Bosch Team for M2M and Much Ado About M2M.)

Impressive full-year financials from euNetworks Group Ltd. , the owner/operator of 13 fiber-based metropolitan networks across Europe. Total revenues grew 32 percent to €43.8 million (US$60.4 million) in 2010, and within that figure network revenues soared by 55 percent year-on-year to €30.4 million ($41.9 million). Gross profit for the year increased by 30 percent to €31.5 million ($43.4 million). (See euNetworks Reports Q4 .)

As jobs are lost in its native Finland, handset giant Nokia has announced plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Vietnam. The new plant, located near Hanoi, will open in 2012, backed by an initial investment of €200 million ($276 million). (See Nokia to Add Manufacturing Plant in Vietnam and Nokia to Cut Jobs, Stay in Finland.)

NTT is spreading its EMEA tentacles with the opening of branch offices in Warsaw and Dubai, both sites coming under the auspices of NTT Europe . The aim is to offer "more varied" services to the growing number of Japanese and other multinational companies operating in the region than it has been able to do before. (See NTT Com to Open in Dubai, Warsaw .)

Sweden kicked off its 800MHz spectrum auction on Monday. The total amount of bids came to 1.5 billion Swedish kronor ($233 million) at the end of Tuesday, according to Swedish regulator National Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) , which provides daily updates on the auction here.

Elsewhere in Europe:

• Interoute Completes 100G Subsea Transmission
  
• Lombard Leaves France Telecom
  
  

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading