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Batelco exits India

airplane

Bahraini operator group Batelco has announced that it has sold its stake in India’s STel, due to the circumstances surrounding the country’s 2G scandal. The operator noted that it had been looking for a buyer of its share in the Indian carrier long before last week’s ruling from the Supreme Court of India to cancel the 122 spectrum licences awarded in a 2008 spectrum sale.

Google ready to start laying fibre

Google is bringing fibre to Kansas

Google has confirmed that it is ready to start building its Google Fibre network in Kansas City (Kansas) and Kansas City (Missouri).

First European LTE phone coming to Vodafone Germany

The HTC Velocity will be the first LTE handset available in Europe and available on Vodafone Germany

Vodafone D2, the German arm of the UK-based carrier, has revealed that it will soon have an LTE ready smartphone from Taiwanese handset maker HTC available on its network. German publication Computer Week has said that the Vodafone press office in Germany has confirmed that the HTC Velocity 4G will soon be coming to market, though the exact launch date and pricing has not been confirmed.

Huawei wins Kiwi fibre contract

The deal will bring fibre to Christchurch

Chinese vendor Huawei has been awarded a contract to supply fibre equipment for the Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) network being built in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand

Customer experience revealed as Alcatel-Lucent’s next frontier

The deals marks Ericsson's first pan-African contract

Equipment vendor Alcatel-Lucent has launched an extended portfolio of software and services designed to ameliorate customer experiences on both fixed and wireless networks.

Middle East round-up: Du provides Metro wifi, Orange Israel seeks new owner, Batelco reviews India

A Dubai Metro station

In the Middle East, UAE operator Du has announced plans to provide Wifi access across the Dubai Metro, the majority shareholder in Orange Israel is looking to sell its stake in the firm and a Bahraini operator is left reeling after the Indian Supreme Court cancels its licence to provide 2G services in the country.

“We will do everything we can to stay in India,” says Telenor

Telenor wants to stay in India, despite having its 2G licences revoked

Nordic operator group Telenor has said that it will do what it can to keep Indian subsidiary Uninor operating in the country. Last week, the Supreme Court of India cancelled 122 telecoms licences that were awarded in a 2008 spectrum sale, citing corruption in the sales process of the licences.

Ofcom to force down wholesale broadband costs, but BT disputes decision

UK broadband prices could drop after regulator announces wholesale price cut

The UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has said it will be forcing down the prices that Openreach, the wholesale division of incumbent BT, can charge for broadband and telephone rental. The proposed charge controls would reduce the cost of a “fully unbundled line” from £91.50 to £87.41, and shared unbundled line, where an ISP used the line just to provide broadband, would drop from £14.70 to £11.92, while the cost for phone rental services would drop from £103.68 to £98.81.

Vodafone pulls out of Greek merger

Vodafone pulls out of a proposed merger with Greek operator Wind Hellas

Vodafone Group has confirmed that it has abandoned its plans to merge its operations in Greece with local operator Wind Hellas, citing the uncertainty around the Greek market as a key reason.

Patents in the spotlight: The UK Treasury’s Patent Box proposals

Patent value is now more important and complex than ever

It is impossible to open the business pages without some reminder of the huge importance of patents to the telecoms industry. The government’s proposal to introduce a ten per cent rate of corporation tax for patent-related profits is designed to encourage investment in innovation in the UK, and further highlights the opportunities for those who get patent value right. This could mean that some businesses should now take a greater interest in filing patents, and others will want to review their established arrangements to make the most of the proposals.