Eurobites: Tele2 Russia takes Ericsson to court over 'undelivered equipment'Eurobites: Tele2 Russia takes Ericsson to court over 'undelivered equipment'

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Cellnex closes Hutchison deal in UK; progress (and lack of it) on renewable energy use; EU lawmakers approve new cyber directive.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

November 11, 2022

3 Min Read
Eurobites: Tele2 Russia takes Ericsson to court over 'undelivered equipment'

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Cellnex closes Hutchison deal in UK; progress (and lack of it) on renewable energy use; EU lawmakers approve new cyber directive.

  • Tele2 Russia, which is owned by state-linked Rostelecom, has issued a lawsuit in Moscow against Ericsson, accusing the Swedish vendor of failing to honor agreements to supply certain equipment. As Reuters reports, Ericsson suspended its business in Russia in April and committed to exiting the country altogether by the end of the year in response to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Rostelecom's president is Mikhail Oseevsky; he was among the list of those sanctioned by the European Union in March because of their links to the Putin regime. In a statement to Reuters, Tele2 Russia said: "We have initiated proceedings against Ericsson Corporation and Satel TVK due to the refusal of the companies to fulfil their obligations to provide equipment. Most of the undelivered equipment refers to orders made long before sanctions were imposed." (See Ericsson, Nokia to complete Russian exit this year and Ericsson halts business in Russia.) Figure 1: Ericsson suspended its business in Russia in April. (Source: Ericsson) Ericsson suspended its business in Russia in April.
    (Source: Ericsson)

    • Cellnex has closed its acquisition of CK Hutchison's towers portfolio in the UK (which power the Three mobile network), the last in a series of such deals the Spanish company has been signing in various parts of Europe. The news comes as Cellnex announces its earnings for the first nine months of fiscal year 2022, which show adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) up 45% year-on-year to €1.94 billion (US$1.99 billion), on revenue that climbed 46% to reach €2.57 billion ($2.64 billion). The company's outlook was confirmed for 2022. (See Three eyes €10B towers sale to Cellnex in risky move.)

    • New analysis released today by the GSMA reveals that when it comes to using renewable energy in their networks, European mobile operators are leading the way, purchasing an average of 71% of renewable energy in their operations. However, in 29 of the 86 countries surveyed, operators use less than 25% renewable energy. The GSMA's chief regulatory officer, John Giusti, called for greater collaboration between the public and the private sector to expand the renewable energy infrastructure.

    • Sweden's Enea has landed a carrier Wi-Fi contract worth $1.6 million with an unnamed North American mobile operator. The operator will use Enea's Aptilo Wi-Fi Service Management Platform to facilitate public Wi-Fi services.

    • The European Parliament has adopted a new law which it says strengthens EU-wide resilience against cyberattacks by setting tighter cybersecurity obligations for risk management, reporting and information-sharing. "Essential sectors" such as the energy, transport, banking, health, digital infrastructure, public administration and space sectors will be covered by the new provisions, while the new rules will also protect so-called "important sectors" such as postal services and waste management.

    • Nokia has teamed up with Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Internet service provider PayGoZo to supply affordable ultrafast broadband as part of the Kayamandi Township Fiber Project in South Africa. Users are offered unlimited data, but on a time-based and pay-as-you-go pricing scheme.

      — Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

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About the Author

Paul Rainford

Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

Paul is based on the Isle of Wight, a rocky outcrop off the English coast that is home only to a colony of technology journalists and several thousand puffins.

He has worked as a writer and copy editor since the age of William Caxton, covering the design industry, D-list celebs, tourism and much, much more.

During the noughties Paul took time out from his page proofs and marker pens to run a small hotel with his other half in the wilds of Exmoor. There he developed a range of skills including carrying cooked breakfasts, lying to unwanted guests and stopping leaks with old towels.

Now back, slightly befuddled, in the world of online journalism, Paul is thoroughly engaged with the modern world, regularly firing up his VHS video recorder and accidentally sending text messages to strangers using a chipped Nokia feature phone.

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