Euronews: DT Expands Wi-Fi Reach With FON

Deutsche Telekom AG, Zain Group, Amdocs Ltd. and Tele2 AB are under starter's orders for today's gallop through the EMEA headlines.

Deutsche Telekom is partnering with FON Wireless Ltd., the world's largest Wi-Fi provider, to roll out what it claims will be Germany's biggest Wi-Fi network. Like BT Group plc's FON offering, the principle behind WLan To Go, as the network is called, is users being prepared to share their home Wi-Fi with other users in a cuddly, reciprocal arrangement. Deutsche Telekom currently has a network of 12,000 Wi-Fi hotspots but, with the help of FON, aims to have 2.5 million public Wi-Fi access points available to its customers by 2016. (See DT Preps Wi-Fi Push With FON and Euronews: DT Considers FON Stake.)

Zain, the Kuwait-based operator, is planning to reduce its stake in its Iraqi unit through an IPO, reports Arabian Business. If the IPO proves successful, Zain's stake could fall from 76 percent to 51 percent.

Service Provider Information Technology (SPIT) giant Amdocs and Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (SingTel) have opened a joint research and development (R&D) center in Ra’anana, Israel, where Amdocs has its headquarters. The partnership may help Israeli mobile applications developers enter Asia/Pacific markets, notes a Bloomberg report.

Bulgarian operator MobilTel (M-Tel) has deployed ZTE Corp.'s IPTV system, allowing it to launch a multi-screen service. The launch follows the signing of a five-year IPTV deal in Sept. 2011. (See Mtel Deploys ZTE's IPTV System.)

Swedish operator Tele2 has rejigged its management structure and taken the decision to focus its energies on its operations in Sweden, Russia, the Netherlands and Norway. As part of the rethink, the operator has done away with its "market area directors" and replaced them with country-specific CEOs in its key markets.

U.K. mobile operator Everything Everywhere Ltd. (EE) could be heading for a subscriber backlash with its decision to increase postpaid monthly charges by around 80 pence in April, reports The Guardian. The mid-contract increases affect nearly 5.5 million subscribers, who thought they were on fixed-price contracts. The fools! (See Euronews: EE Tests Waters on Flotation.) — Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading