Eurobites: Virgin Media O2 feels the urge to convergeEurobites: Virgin Media O2 feels the urge to converge

UK operator Virgin Mobile O2 has created something it's calling a Converged Interconnect Network (CIN) – basically one network that carries both mobile and fixed traffic. The move, says VMO2, takes the core deeper into the operator's network, with IP-routed networks deployed in the access network. The operator claims that this allows different services to coexist on the network and be managed more easily, with the end customer effectively closer to an optimized network. Also, the new-look network can be quickly scaled up to provide increased capacity as demand for data grows and new areas are connected, says the operator.

Ericsson and Orange Belgium have completed a trial of 5G network slicing automation which drew on Ericsson's service orchestration and assurance software to automatically configure and manage 5G network slices spanning both core and radio network domains in a multivendor and RAN-sharing scenario.

CISPE, the European cloud services providers lobby group, has officially launched the European Cloud Competition Observatory (ECCO), created as part of an antitrust settlement with Microsoft following a competition complaint filed against Microsoft with the European Commission in November 2022. Though managed by CISPE, ECCO will operate under an independent governance structure. Top of ECCO's to-do list is to assess Microsoft's progress on software commitments outlined in the 2022 settlement, but ECCO will also, in due course, be monitoring other software heavyweights including Broadcom/VMware, who in CISPE's eyes restrict cloud choices for European customers through their practices.

Nokia has extended its 4G/5G contract India's with Bharti Airtel in what it describes as a multi-billion-dollar deal. The Finnish vendor will deploy equipment from its 5G AirScale range, including basestations, baseband units and Massive MIMO radios, all powered by its ReefShark system-on-chip technology. Airtel will also be using Nokia's MantaRay software for network monitoring and management.

Vodafone has published a study highlighting the rise of AI-driven phishing. According to the study, 78% of business leaders were "confident" that their employees could successfully identify a sophisticated AI-driven phishing attack; however, two-thirds failed to do so. Surprisingly, perhaps, younger staff (aged 18 to 24) appeared more likely to fall for AI-driven phishing scams than their older peers. The study was published as part of a campaign by Vodafone to persuade the UK government to do more to help businesses protect themselves from this new threat variant.

European data centers are struggling to reach their decarbonization goals, according to a new survey from CFP Energy. While 90% of all data centers surveyed have decarbonization targets, success in hitting these targets is a mixed bag, with only 52% of French providers reporting that they have met their targets, compared to 70% in Germany and 78% in the UK. So what's stopping them? Well, 69% cite a lack of suitable technology, 61% bemoan a lack of funding and 63% point to regulatory complexity.

Nordic operator Tele2 is offering 5G-powered hologram dating for lonely Swedes too lazy to leave their own houses to meet a potential partner. Singleton Svens (other Swedish names are available) will be able to beam themselves into a Stockholm shopping mall, where they will hopefully get it on with virtual kindred spirits. Think of it as ABBA Voyage meets Love Island meets Star Trek. If that helps.