Eurobites: 'NokaLu' Clears Another Hurdle

News Analysis Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe 6/5/2015

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: BT puts a firewall in its cloud; Millicom buys Zanzibar Telecom; Huawei to train African students.

Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) has cleared one of the regulatory hurdles to its proposed takeover by Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK), completing the consultation with the Comité de Groupe France. According to AlcaLu, the body has indicated that "it does not oppose the proposed combination." The committee's opinion will be included as part of the "response document" that AlcaLu must file as part of the process. The proposed takeover is still subject to approval by Nokia's shareholders. (See Nokia Makes €15.6B Bid for Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia & Alcatel-Lucent: What's Going On?)

BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA) has done a deal with Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP) to incorporate the vendor's embedded cloud firewall services into its so-called Cloud of Clouds offering to enterprises.

Millicom International Cellular SA (Nasdaq: MICC) , which specializes in providing communications services in emerging markets, is to acquire Zanzibar Telecom for the bargain price of a dollar -- though there is the small matter of the operator's debts, which total $74 million. Millicom will own 85% of the company, with the Zanzibar government owning the rest.

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. has pledged to recruit 1,000 African students to its technical training program over the next five years. The plan was announced at this week's World Economic Forum in Cape Town.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading