Euronews: Telefónica Raises $500M in Asset Sale

Telefónica SA, BICS (Belgacom International Carrier Services) and cVidya Networks Inc. get things moving in today's roundup of EMEA headlines.

Telefónica is making another assault on its debt pile by selling a 40 percent stake in its operations in Guatemala, Panama, El Salvador and Nicaragua to Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI), raising US$500 million in the process. An additional amount, up to $72 million, is conditional on future performance. (See Telefónica Sells Stake in LatAm Group and Euronews: Write-Downs Hit Telefónica's Full Year.)

The European Commission has decided against setting specific pan-European Union fees for wholesale access to copper-based networks, according to Reuters, following complaints from the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) that to do so would actually mean increasing tariffs for consumers in several EU countries.

BICS, one of the IP exchanges set to play a significant role in the introduction of 4G roaming services, has deployed the FraudView solution from Service Provider Information Technology (SPIT) specialist cVidya to identify fraudulent behavior on its wholesale network. BICS will also integrate FraudView across its extensive wholesale network and also provide it as a service as part of the Mosaic services portfolio offered to communications service providers. BICS recently acted as the exchange in Europe's first 4G roaming call. (See BICS Counters Fraud With cVidya, Euronews: 4G Roaming Tried & Tested and LTE Roaming Action Intensifies.)

Everything Everywhere Ltd. (EE), the joint venture between Orange UK and T-Mobile (UK), has launched its 4G services in 12 more U.K. towns. Among them is Billericay, best known for this, and Pontefract, best known for these. (See Euronews: EE Reveals 4G Uptake.)

Microsoft Corp. is embedding Skype, the VoIP software best known for its free video telephony feature, within its Outlook.com webmail service (which replaced Hotmail), running a "preview" trial of the service in the U.K., reports the BBC. (See Microsoft Fills Hole in Skype.)

BeyonDSL Ltd. is to offer SES S.A.'s satellite broadband in the U.K. and Ireland. The service will offer speeds of up to 20 Mbit/s to those who cannot access easily access fixed-line or conventional mobile broadband. (See BeyonDSL Offers SES's Broadband in UK.)

BT Group plc has notched up another state-aided FTTx deal under the terms of the U.K.'s government-led Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) framework. This time it's a £28.5 million ($44.1 million) project involving four local authorities in the northern English county of Cheshire. (See Euronews: UK's Broadband Plan Gets EU Nod.) — Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading