Euronews: Moody's Has a Downer on AlcaLu

Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), Zain Group and BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA) start the week in today's Bolt-like run through the EMEA headlines.

Credit ratings agency Moody's Investors Service has downgraded Alcatel-Lucent from stable to negative, reports Telecompaper (subscription required). The vendor's rate of "cash burn" is still a concern for analysts and investors. (See Euronews: Alcatel-Lucent Admits Faults, Alcatel-Lucent: Too Little, Too Late? and Alcatel-Lucent to Cut 5,000 Jobs.)

Kuwait-based operator Zain saw its second-quarter profits inch up from 70.26 million dinars (US$249.2 million) in the year-ago quarter to KWD70.97 million ($251.5 million), though this fell well short of analysts' forecasts, reports Reuters.

The Nigerian government is considering reallocating its 2.5GHz spectrum -- currently used by broadcasters -- for telcos' use, reports The Guardian Nigeria.

BT is claiming that Cornwall, the U.K. county famous for its pasties and dramatic coastline, has the fastest broadband speeds of any rural region in Europe, reports the Financial Times (subscription required). Some fuming locals living within the exchange area of Kettleholm, however, may disagree. (See BT Trials FTTP-on-Demand and Everything Everywhere Trials LTE in Cornwall.)

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading