Quad-play is just so 2014. Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Sigfox in French IoT deal; Ericsson opens cloud lab in Rome; Huawei and Volkswagen share the ride.
Quad-play is just so 2014. Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Sigfox in French IoT deal; Ericsson opens cloud lab in Rome; Huawei and Volkswagen share the ride.
Telefónica SA (NYSE: TEF) claims that it is ushering in the "quintuple-play era" in Spain with the launch of a bundle that includes a home security service, as well as the standard quad-play combination of fixed-line voice, broadband, TV and mobile. The package, available exclusively to Movistar (Spain) broadband customers, will deliver the home security service via customers' fiber or ADSL connections and using a transmission system developed by IoT specialist Sigfox , which Telefónica claims is impossible to block. Now, there's a challenge... (See Telefónica España Offers Home Security Services.)
Separately, Sigfox has landed an Internet of Things contract in France with Cofely Services, an energy-efficiency consultancy. Sigfox's wireless, ultra-narrowband (UNB) network has been designed for small messages that will meet the needs of the vast majority of objects connected to the IoT. The pair plan to connect "at least 100,000 objects" within three years. (See Sigfox Lands IoT Deal With Cofely.)
Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) is opening a laboratory in Rome dedicated to all things cloud, which it describes as an "open and multi-vendor environment based on NFV and SDN technologies." The laboratory, located on its existing campus in the Italian capital, will in theory be accessible to operators worldwide. (See Ericsson Opens Cloud Lab.)
German auto giant Volkswagen is to collaborate with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. on connected cars. At the International Consumer Electronics Show Asia in Shanghai this week, the pair jointly demonstrated a series of apps that are intended to allow drivers to use GPS navigation systems, play music, send and receive messages and make phone calls while behind the wheel.
French regulator Arcep has released its latest 4G "scoreboard," which shows that Orange (NYSE: FTE) and Bouygues Telecom have the most extensive 4G coverage in the country, with 72% and 71% coverage of the population respectively. Iliad (Euronext: ILD)'s Free Mobile came bottom of the pile, with 33% coverage. The survey was carried out in the first quarter of 2015.
Sky has pulled out of talks with Mediaset, Italy's dominant pay-TV provider, about a potential joint venture, reports the Daily Telegraph. Failure to agree on the value of Mediaset Premium apparently put paid to the discussions.
Telia Company has been accused by sections of the Swedish media of feathering the nest of the Azeri president's family in return for licenses to operate in Azerbaijan, reports Reuters. Documents relating to the Azeri dealings have been handed over to Swedish prosecutors for further investigation.
— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading
Read more about:
EuropeYou May Also Like
.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
