Euronews: Has Nokia Nabbed a New Chairman?

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK), Telefónica Móviles SA , Vodafone España S.A. and Nokia Networks are in the thick of today's EMEA telecom news action.

Maybe it's not turning American after all... the Nokia board is proposing the indisputably Finnish Risto Siilasmaa as its next chairman, reports Yahoo, citing the the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. The current chairman, Jorma Ollila, steps down in May. (See Nokia Boss Declares War on Android, Nokia Lowers Outlook, Shares Slump , Euronews: Nokia Dismisses Sale Rumor, Nokia Cuts 4,000 Jobs, Sheds Symbian and Nokia Puts Microsoft Strategy Into Action .)

There's trouble in Spain as the country's telecom regulator, CNC, announces an investigation (press release in Spanish) of Telefónica Móviles, Vodafone and Orange Spain for alleged infringement of competition rules. The move follows a complaint by BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA) that the three operators were overcharging MVNOs for using their networks.

In similar anti-trust territory we see KPN Telecom NV (NYSE: KPN) having a €140 million (US$183 million) deal with the Dutch government cancelled by the regulator because of concerns over unfair competition, reports Reuters. The deal was originally "frozen" following compaints by Nordic operator Tele2 AB (Nasdaq: TLTO). (See KPN CFO Resigns and Euronews: KPN's Slide Continues.)

NSN has struck an optical technology licensing deal with Acacia Research Corp. subsidiary Lambda Optical Solutions LLC, ending a legal case that began in June 2010. (See NSN Strikes IPR Deal With Acacia.)

Hungary's Office of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) has accepted four proposals to bid for mobile spectrum in the 900MHz band but rejected two others, reports the Wall Street Journal. Telenor Group (Nasdaq: TELN), Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT)'s Magyar Telekom plc and a consortium of state-owned companies (including Magyar Posta, the national postal service operator) have been cleared to participate in the spectrum auction that started today, while those missing out were Romanian broadband cable operator RCS & RDS and Vietnamese mobile network operator Viettel Group.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading