Spain and Sweden lead the European pack in the latest Fiber Development Index from analyst firm Omdia, achieving seventh and eighth place respectively on the global ranking list. The index tracks and benchmarks fiber development and investment across 81 countries, from high-flying Singapore in the top spot to lowly Ethiopia at the bottom. The Netherlands had a bad year, falling seven places on the list, though it still ranks well above the UK, which is down in 55th position. Looking ahead, Omdia predicts that in the next five years the percentage of the global population that remains unconnected will fall from 42% to 30%, though by 2026 30% of the world's population will only be accessing the Internet via a mobile device, meaning that in reality only 40% will have the "luxury" of fixed broadband at home.

The European Commission has published the findings of a competition inquiry in the consumer Internet of Things market, identifying a number of concerns, particularly with regard to "exclusivity and tying practices" and interoperability in relation to voice-activated assistants such as Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri. Commenting on the findings, the Commission's executive vice president, Margrethe Vestager, said: "This is a market with high barriers to entry, few vertically integrated players and concerns about access to data, interoperability or exclusivity practices amongst others."

Telefónica's IT services unit, Telefónica Tech, has agreed to become an official distributor of Microsoft Teams Essentials, a stripped-down version of the work collaboration platform aimed at small and midsized companies. The service offers unlimited chat, calling and group meetings with up to 300 participants, as well as some other bits and bobs such as Office web applications.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading