Telefónica's digital business unit, Telefónica Tech, has signed a collaboration agreement with IBM to develop security technology robust enough to withstand the potential threat posed by future quantum computers powerful enough to crack the current cryptography. IBM's security infrastructure, including a LinuxONE system featuring quantum-safe end-to-end encryption, has already been deployed at Telefónica's headquarters in Madrid. The Spanish giant is by no means the only telco trying to itself in shape for a scary quantum future. (See European telcos prepare for quantum hackers.)
International services give Elisa's Q4 a lift
Finland's Elisa, one of Europe's more go-ahead operators, saw its fourth-quarter revenue increase 2.9% year-over-year, to €580 million (US$602 million), while comparable EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) was up 3.3%, to €198 million ($205 million). The rise in revenue was attributed mainly to a growth in international services. During the quarter, Elisa and Nokia became the first companies in Europe to trial 100Gbit/s speeds in a production fiber network as well as opening the first 5G cloud radio access network. (See Nokia and Elisa conduct live trial of 100G PON in Finland, Eurobites: Nokia and Elisa claim European 5G cloud RAN first and Finland's Elisa bucks trend of telco decline.)
KPN increases earnings, plans network investment
Full-year EBITDAal (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, after leases) at Dutch operator KPN climbed 3.6%, to €2.5 billion ($2.6 billion), on revenue that was up 3.4%, to €5.6 billion ($5.8 billion), delivering on the company's own outlook. Over the next three years KPN plans to invest more than €3 billion ($3.1 billion) in its networks, though from 2027 onwards it foresees a step-down in its capex, dropping to below €1.0 billion ($1.03 billion). (See Eurobites: KPN bags challenger Youfone for €200M.)
Openreach extends in Aberdeenshire
The fiber tentacles of Openreach, BT's network access arm, have reached into more parts of Scotland's Aberdeenshire region, with the towns of Huntly, Macduff and Banff all in the process of being brought into the full-fiber fold. Around 53,000 properties across Aberdeenshire now have access to the Openreach network, while Scotland as a whole has more than 1.4 million properties passed.
Three years ago today…
Eurobites reported on how Spotify, the Sweden-based audio streaming service, was in damage-limitation mode following the high-profile flounce-outs of grizzled rocker Neil Young and iconic folkie Joni Mitchell, who had both asked for their music to be withdrawn from Spotify's platform, Young doing so in protest at Spotify's hosting of Joe Rogan's rent-a-rant podcast, much beloved of antivaxxers in the US and beyond. They obviously settled their differences because both musicians' work is now up for grabs on the platform.