Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK), Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT) and Orange France are all present and correct in today's roundup of Euro telecom news.

Following a slump in the wake of the announcement of its long-term strategic tie-up with Microsoft, Nokia's shares have enjoyed a mini-revival in early trading Monday, reports Finnish website YLE. The handset giant's shares rose 2.4 percent following the decision by investment bank Goldman Sachs & Co. to upgrade its rating of Nokia from "neutral" to "buy". (See MWC 2011: Microsoft & Nokia Court Carriers , MWC 2011: How Will Nokia Maintain Market Share? and Nokia Unveils Major Revamp.)

German incumbent Deutsche Telekom has apparently seen off the threat of industrial action by reaching agreement with its labor unions, reports Automated Trader, citing Dow Jones. DT management and representatives from the Verdi union said they had shaken hands on a 3.15 percent wage increase for the carrier's 60,000 or so employees, effective from April 1. (See DT's Shares Rocket on AT&T Deal and Euronews: March 18.)

In France, Orange has joined forces with utility Veolia Water to form a new operator, m20 city, which plans to target local authorities with a smart-metering offering that will be able to collect relevant data from various environmental sensors as well as recording and processing water usage information. (See Orange Teams on Smart Meters, DT Rolls Out Smart Metering in T-City and BT Launches Smart Grid Consortium.)

Amino Technologies plc (London: AMO), the U.K.-based IPTV technology firm, has won a follow-on order from Telecom Italia (TIM) to help deliver its Cubovision multimedia broadband service. (See Amino Supports Cubovision Rollout and Amino Reports Full-Year Results.)

With the help of colleagues in Korea, boffins at Edinburgh University have come up with a way of improving memory storage in handheld devices such as smartphones, MP3 players and cameras, reports the BBC. It apparently involves the use of a carbon nanotube and a tiny mechanical arm that somehow translates data into electrical signals. Sounds like a clever wee beastie.

Elsewhere in Europe:

• NSN Upgrades Telecom Italia

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading