Eurobites: Ageing VxWorks OS Raises UK Security Concerns Over Huawei – Report

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: cable body slams judgement on VodafoneZiggo; MTS gets into IT outsourcing; new advertising rules force UK ISPs to be more honest about broadband speeds.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

August 6, 2018

2 Min Read
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Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: cable body slams judgement on VodafoneZiggo; MTS gets into IT outsourcing; new advertising rules force UK ISPs to be more honest about broadband speeds.Huawei's use of an ageing, soon-to-be unsupported version of the VxWorks operating system from US firm Wind River Systems Inc. in one of its products was one of the reasons government-backed British boffins raised security concerns about the Chinese vendor, according to a Reuters report. Last month cybersecurity experts at the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC) warned the UK government that Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd poses a threat to the security of the country's telecom networks. The report notes, though, that the Wind River software itself does not pose a security threat: The use of software that will, from 2020, not receive security updates is deemed to be very poor practise, however. (See Huawei Poses Security Threat, Says UK Watchdog.)Industry lobby group Cable Europe has slammed an assessment by Dutch regulator ACM that finds VodafoneZiggo to have "joint significant market power (SMP)" together with Dutch incumbent operator KPN, describing the decision as "anachronistic." Cable Europe believes the assessment would have "negative consequences" and "set a negative precedent in Europe," and is urging the European Commission to reject the ACM (Authority for Consumers & Markets) proposals. For more, see this announcement.Russia's Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (MTS) (NYSE: MBT) is entering the IT outsourcing market in combination with systems integrator NVision Group. Services will be provided under the terms of a service-level agreement (SLA) lasting from one to five years.New rules relating to broadband advertising are forcing UK broadband companies to be more honest about the download speeds they offer in the real world, according to research from Which?, the influential UK consumer rights group. The analysis by Which? found that since the new rules were introduced by the Committees of Advertising Practice in May, 11 broadband companies have cut the advertised speed of a number of their deals, with some of them plummeting by as much as 41%. BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA), EE and Sky were among those quietly turning down the dial. For more details, see this story on Light Reading's sister site, telecoms.com.The European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association (ETNO) is complaining again, this time about the fact that the European Commission's proposals for a digital services tax (DST) could, in its view, result in telcos and others falling victim to "double taxation" across the European Union. The industry group proposes a number of measures that it hopes will prevent this from happening.— 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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