Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: profits at Orange's Israeli partner take a dive; Amino completes Entone acquisition; Google heading for collision with BMW over Alphabet.
News comes today of two subsea upgrades that will help Europe become better connected. Huawei Marine Networks Co. Ltd. says it has completed upgrades on the section of the West Africa Cable System (WACS) running from South Africa to Portugal and Portugal to the UK, using its 100G technology. The 11,450km section between South Africa and Portugal is one of the longest 100G links ever laid, according to the vendor. Meanwhile, Hibernia Networks is completing a 4,600km link between Halifax, Nova Scotia to London and the Irish city of Cork. It is hoped that the link will benefit Ireland's standing in the data centers sector, where it is already a significant player. (See WACS Upgrades With Huawei's 100G.)
Partner Communications Co. Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; London: PCCD), which operates under the Orange brand in Israel, has posted second-quarter profits down 80% year-on-year, reports Reuters, blaming increased competition for the dramatic slump. Orange (NYSE: FTE) CEO Stephane Richard caused something of a diplomatic incident in June when he said he would end his company's relationship with Partner Communications "tomorrow morning" if he could, and ended up apologizing to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for perceived criticism of the Israeli regime.
Amino Technologies plc (London: AMO), based in the UK's high-tech hotspot of Cambridge, has completed its $73 million acquisition of US-based Entone Inc. , the set-top and video software vendor. (See Amino Scoops Up Set-Top Company Entone.)
Wireless testing specialist Anite plc has become the latest company to join the 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) at the UK's University of Surrey. Anite will be contributing its channel emulation and protocol testing expertise. Other members of 5GIC include BT, EE, Telefónica, Vodafone and Samsung.
This could spell trouble. Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) announced this week that it was creating a holding company, Alphabet, that would help differentiate between Google's core search/advertising business and the, erm, other stuff that doesn't make any money. As the Daily Telegraph reports, it turns out that "Alphabet" is already trademarked by German carmaker BMW and used by one its divisions. Considering that some of the left-field business that Google is into relates to automotive -- think driverless cars -- this looks like it could end with a day or two in court. (See Google Sings 'Alphabet' Song.)
— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading
And just what's up with Alphabet? I don't quite get why they want to create another structure and try to brand that better than Google. Seems very strange and I wonder if there's something hidden between the lines, they're not revealing yet in press releases.