Eurobites: UK competition watchdog gives Google's search advertising a sniffEurobites: UK competition watchdog gives Google's search advertising a sniff

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Mercedes-Benz gets conversational with Google; Ericsson brings AI to network administration; Orange and Vodacom agree towers deal in DRC.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

January 14, 2025

3 Min Read
Smartphone displaying logo of the Competition and Markets Authority
(Source: Ascannio/Alamy Stock Photo)

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched its first investigation under the new digital markets regime that came into force at the start of the year – and it's the dominance of Google's search-related advertising services that is under the regulatory microscope. Among other concerns, the CMA will assess how competition is working (or not) in the search advertising market, and whether Google is using its position to prevent innovation by others, not least in the way it is embracing AI technology. The CMA believes that effective competition could keep a lid on the cost of search advertising and in turn reduce prices across the wider economy. The investigation is expected to take nine months.

Mercs get chatty, with Google's help

In related news, German carmaker Mercedes-Benz and Google Cloud have joined forces to introduce new conversational capabilities to the MBUX Virtual Assistant. It is hoped that the partnership will enable drivers to have "natural-language conversations" with the in-car assistant to obtain information from the Google Maps platform about nearby points of interest and so on. The fruits of the collaboration will be available in Mercedes-Benz's new CLA series later this year.

Ericsson introduces 'virtual expert' to streamline network admin

Ericsson has unveiled a new generative AI-based NetCloud Assistant (ANA) to simplify the job of enterprise 5G network administration. Unlike traditional chatbots, says Ericsson, which use search to provide links to existing resources, ANA has the ability to read, understand and generate new text and graphical content, providing personalized responses by collating information from multiple technical documents and insights from the customer's network. It is intended to complement Ericsson's existing NetCloud AIOps dashboard.

DRC to benefit from Orange-Vodacom towers deal

Orange and Vodacom have struck a towers deal in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which will see the two companies jointly build, own and operate solar-powered basestations in underserved areas of the country. It is envisaged that the project will extend network coverage to up to 19 million people in less densely populated rural communities. (See Vodacom, Orange partner to expand rural network coverage in DRC.)

Nokia helps bring wind power onshore

Nokia has been chosen to connect up eight new 2-gigawatt wind farms in the Dutch North Sea to help bring the energy onshore. Nokia's 1830 PSS DWDM technology will be used to connect the offshore sites to TenneT's onshore communications infrastructure, enabling TenneT to monitor and manage the remote platforms from dry land.

Vivendi fails to kill the TIM-KKR deal

Vivendi has failed in its bid to annul the sale of Telecom Italia's fixed-line grid to investment firm KKR. As Reuters reports (paywall may apply), French media giant Vivendi filed a complaint with a Milan court in December 2023, which challenged the sale. Italy's government bought 16% of the network as part of the deal. (See Vivendi remains awkward element in TIM's fixed ambitions.)

Hagberg leaves Tele2

Kim Hagberg has stepped down from her role as EVP, chief operations at Nordic operator Tele2. She had been part of the management team there since 2018, overseeing the merger of Tele2 and Com Hem, among other responsibilities. No reason has been given for her departure. (See Sweden's Tele2 to Swallow Com Hem in $3.3B Deal.)

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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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