Eurobites: Vodafone brings LTE-M into its IoT mix

Vodafone has added LTE-M (also known as CAT-M) technology to its IoT menu for business customers. LTE-M is designed for IoT services that are not connected to mains electricity and only transmit small amounts of data. It is often used in mobility-related applications such as asset tracking and wearable devices. Vodafone already offers NB-IoT, 4G and 5G IoT connectivity to business customers.

Xavier Niel, the French billionaire and founder of Iliad, has raised his bid for Millicom International Cellular, the Latin America based operator, after a previous offer was rejected as being too low. As Bloomberg reports (paywall applies), the bid has been raised to $25.75 a share in cash, up from a previous offer of $24 a share. Millicom, though nominally based in Luxembourg, provides fixed and mobile services under the Tigo brand to more than 50 million subscribers across Latin America. Niel's NJJ Holding already owns a 29% stake in Millicom.

The European Commission has approved HPE's acquisition of Juniper Networks after reaching the conclusion that the deal raised no competition concerns within its jurisdiction. One particular worry had been the potential overlaps between the companies' activities in the market for WLAN (wireless local-area network) equipment and related gear.

In related matters, the AI Act, first proposed by the European Commission in 2021, has finally come into force this week. It is meant to provide developers and "deployers" of AI with clear obligations regarding the use of the in-vogue technology while reducing administrative and financial burdens for businesses seeking to introduce AI into their operations. Obligations include the requirement for chatbots to clearly inform users that they are interacting with a machine, rather than Darren in Gateshead, for example.

But not everyone is so keen to climb aboard the AI juggernaut: The BBC reports that the new UK government has decided to ditch the previous administration's £1.3 billion ($1.6 billion) funding plan for AI projects, explaining in a statement that it is "taking difficult and necessary spending decisions across all departments in the face of billions of pounds of unfunded commitments." The previous Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, nailed his colors to the AI mast, hosting a high-profile summit in London, but it seems new boss Keir Starmer has other priorities on his to-do list.

MTN is conducting an executive reshuffle in West Africa, with Mohammed Rufai, currently serving as chief technical officer at MTN Nigeria, being named CEO of MTN Congo-Brazzaville, while the man he replaces, Ayham Moussa, joins MTN Nigeria as chief operating officer. MTN Côte d’Ivoire CEO Djibril Ouattara and current MTN Nigeria COO Hassan Jabber are both taking early retirement.

The Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe organization (CISPE) has introduced a cloud-switching framework to help cloud companies comply with the EU Data Act, which comes fully into force in September 2025. Among other obligations implemented under the terms of the Act, cloud providers must give customers clear, detailed information about the switching process, including procedures, data formats and costs.

Deutsche Telekom has teamed up with Volkswagen and others to test 5G-driven software systems for automotive terminals linked to ports. The AutoLog project, in the German port of Emden, combines a private 5G network with a network API connection and an edge data center for fast data processing on site. Software company Unikie is supplying the system for the automatic control of the vehicles at the terminal, using a digital replica of the available parking spaces to ensure that the vehicles can be controlled safely.