Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: UK government targets online terrorism; Telsis takes M-net's emergency call; Ofcom consults on ducts and poles; O2 adds WiFi to the London Eye.
Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) says it will push for "accelerated 3GPP industry standardization" to help speed the progress of 5G. The call comes as it updates the industry on the progress of its "5G FIRST" solution, a technology suite comprising radio access, packet core and transport capabilities which it launched at Mobile World Congress in February. In its statement, the vendor says it intends to implement "early 5G specifications, enhancing 5G FIRST with the 3GPP 5G Phase I protocol." (See Nokia Pitches Full 5G Suite but Shies Away From 5G Acceleration Push.)
Ahead of a major summit today in San Francisco that will discuss ways of countering online terrorism-related content, UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd has told the BBC that online giants such as Facebook, Google, Twitter and YouTube need to do more to clamp down on extremism in cyberspace or face tough new regulation. Rudd said that the messaging encryption provided by the likes of WhatsApp was a problem for the security services, and that her government wanted to work more closely with technology companies on the issue so that where there is a "targeted need," those companies can share more information with the authorities.
German network operator M-net Telekommunikations GmbH has opted for Telsis Ltd. 's Emergency Service Location Information (ESLI) offering to help it comply with new German regulation that requires caller location information to be supplied in the signaling for calls to emergency services.
UK telecom regulator Ofcom has launched yet another consultation, seeking industry responses to its pricing proposals relating to Openreach 's arrangements for wholesale access to its network ducts and poles. Openreach is the network access division of BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA), which is in the process of being legally separated from its parent company. Ofcom has recently set up a unit dedicated to monitoring Openreach, supposedly making sure the company is following new governance rules. (See Eurobites: We're Watching You, Ofcom Tells Openreach.)
Telefónica UK Ltd. (O2) says it has deployed the world's first free high-density WiFi network on a "continually moving structure," which as claims go is quite a niche one. The continually moving structure in question is the London Eye, the Ferris wheel on the city's South Bank that has proved such a massive hit with tourists since it opened in 1999. The system has been designed to beam WiFi coverage between 16 fixed access points on the structure, without using fixed cables or satellite technology.
— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading
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