Meanwhile, Ericsson's ConsumerLab research department is predicting that by 2020 half of all TV and video viewing will take place on a mobile screen, an increase of 85% since 2010. More controversially, perhaps, it reckons that by then one in three consumers will also be users of virtual reality -- indeed, it believes that VR will "reignite the campfire experience of TV," whatever that is. For more details of Ericsson's "TV and Media 2017" report, click here.

Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) has offered unspecified concessions to the European Commission in a bid to get Brussels to wave through the US chipmaker's $39 billion bid for NXP Semiconductors N.V. (Nasdaq: NXPI), Reuters reports. Back in June, the Commission opened an in-depth investigation into the proposed takeover, citing fears that the deal could lead to less choice and higher prices in the chip sector. (See Qualcomm Makes $39B Bet on NXP.)

Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT) has lined up Adel Al-Saleh as the new CEO of T-Systems International GmbH , its IT services arm, succeeding Reinhard Clemens, who is leaving the German incumbent at the end of the year. Until recently Adel Al-Saleh was CEO of Northgate Information Solutions (NIS) Group.

Uber, the company behind the eponymous cab-hailing app that has taken huge chunks out of the traditional taxi industry's market share, has suspended its unlicensed UberPOP service in Norway until the government there introduces new rules. As Reuters reports, the company is attempting a more conciliatory tone with national authorities in the face of challenges to its service in several European cities, including London, which last month refused to renew Uber's license to operate. (See Uber Crashes Into UK Regulators, Loses London License.)

Sales of secondhand smartphones in the UK are booming as the price of new ones continues to rise, the Daily Telegraph reports. The newspaper cites the case of Redeem, a Scottish company that recycles smartphones for mobile operators: it saw sales grow by 18% last year to £95 million (US$125 million). Apple raised eyebrows last month when it announced the price of its latest iPhone -- it can cost as much as £1,149 ($1,513) in the UK.

The new head of the UK's intelligence monitoring service, GCHQ, believes that protecting Britain from cyber attacks is as important as protecting it from terrorism, the Daily Telegraph reports. Jeremy Fleming said that "protecting the digital homeland" is a much a part of GCHQ's mission as its "intelligence reach" and anti-terrorism efforts.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading