Telia is to switch on a 5G network in the Finnish city of Oulu, with the intention of giving the industrial zone of Oritkari-Nuottasaari the chance to develop new digital operating models and innovations. It is also anticipated that 5G could transform logistics in the area, through the use of real-time monitoring and autonomous or remote-controlled vehicles. Telia secured 130MHz frequencies in the 3.5GHz band in Finland's 5G spectrum auction, and has committed to launching commercial 5G operations there in early 2019. (See Eurobites: Telia Fires Up 5G in Helsinki.)

Berlin-based European Advanced Networking Test Center AG (EANTC) is joining the roster of independent test labs that will play a vital role in the Broadband Forum's CloudCO (Cloud Central Office) initiative. (See EANTC Joins Broadband Forum's Approved Lab List for CloudCO Tests.)

Forget fiber-to-the-home: The future of superfast broadband in the UK is all about 5G-based fixed wireless access. So says market research firm Ovum Ltd. , in a report commissioned by UK mobile operator Three UK , which, funnily enough, is planning to launch a 5G wireless home broadband service in the second half of 2019. According to the report, the technology is expected to deliver speeds of 80-100 Mbit/s, which is on average around double what customers in the UK currently obtain using traditional, fixed-broadband services. At this week's Huawei Mobile Broadband Forum in London, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd and Three UK are showcasing a 5G home broadband demonstration using Three's 100MHz C-Band spectrum in combination with the Chinese vendor's latest home broadband routers.

The English Football League, which negotiates on behalf of the second tier of English soccer, has signed a multi-year deal with Sky worth £595 million ($765 million). But, as the BBC reports, the deal hasn't gone down well with a number of the bigger clubs, Leeds United and Aston Villa among them, who feel that they deserve a larger slice of the overall soccer revenue pie -- even though the deal represents a 35% increase on the previous contract. The matter is no doubt complicated by the fact that, as the Telegraph reports, Leeds United is owned by Andrea Radrizzani, who also owns Eleven Sports, an ambitious OTT sports streaming service that has already bought the UK rights to Spain's La Liga. Figure 1: Leeds United, in happier times.

Internet peering service provider France-IX Services has welcomed three new sellers to its marketplace: Experio, a managed Internet network provider; Hopus, a partial transit service provider; and telecom carrier Net1C. The inclusion of Net1C means that voice services will be offered for the first time in the marketplace.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading