Nokia Siemens Networks, Ericsson AB, Etisalat, Apple Inc. and Iraq's Asiacell Telecommunications Co. Ltd. make the headlines for our first daily regional roundup of the year.

Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has sold a number of 2G, 3G and 4G wireless network and user device patents to a subsidiary of intellectual property specialist Acacia Research Corp. for an undisclosed sum. NSN declined to provide details of the patents involved, with a spokesperson saying only that it is part of the company's strategy to "monetize selective patents." Separately, NSN has struck a patent license agreement with Acacia subsidiary Adaptix: That deal is related to the legal action brought against the vendor by Adaptix in May 2012, according to the NSN spokesperson.

Etisalat Egypt is upgrading its radio access network with RBS 6000 multistandard base stations from Ericsson. For more details, see this press release.

A major Apple store in Paris was ransacked on New Year's Eve, with armed thieves stealing a significant amount of stock, reports The Guardian. However, it seems police have not confirmed that €1 million (US$1.33 million) of goods were taken, as has been widely reported.

The European Commission has approved Italy's €1 billion ($1.33 billion) plan to deliver guaranteed regional broadband access, according to Telecompaper.

Iraq mobile operator Asiacell is planning to raise $1.3 billion from an IPO of 25 percent of its shares on the Baghdad stock exchange, reports Bloomberg.

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading