Network infrastructure vendor Alcatel-Lucent has appointed a new CEO in former Vodafone Europe CEO Michel Combes. Combes will begin his role April 1, 2013 and will also join the company’s board of directors, subject to the approval of shareholders.
Brazilian operator Claro Brazil has signed an agreement with M2M platform provider Jasper Wireless to serve its M2M customers across 2,000 cities in Brazil.
Spanish operator group Telefónica has launched what it claims to be the first platform that integrates M2M communications and metering infrastructure management. The group said that the Connected Metering Platform will help both communications operators and utilities firms to enhance their smart metering deployments.
UK operator group Vodafone has struck a five-year deal with British defence firm BAE Systems. The two have penned a partnership to provide businesses with a range of advanced communications security products and services for smartphones and tablets. BAE Systems has also selected Vodafone as its preferred supplier of mobile communications worldwide, excluding the US.
Russian operator VimpelCom has signed a five-year managed services contract with Ericsson. The Swedish vendor’s first major managed services contract in Russia sees it managing Vimpelcom’s network operations at more than 10,000 sites.
Swedish operator group Tele2 has enlisted the services of compatriot Ericsson to expand and upgrade its mobile backhaul network throughout Europe. The infrastructure vendor will provide Tele2 with its Mini-Link series of microwave radio solutions as well as professional support services and training.
Software-defined networking (SDN) is the latest acronym to save the day, promising more flexible, scalable and intelligent networks. But what does SDN actually mean?
Indian operator Reliance Communications has signed an eight-year managed services deal with Swedish vendor Ericsson worth $1bn that will see Ericsson assume responsibility for the operator’s fixed and wireless networks in North and West India. Reliance signed a similar deal with Alcatel Lucent—also believed to be worth $1bn—covering East and South India in January.
If a clear indication was needed that IT and networking firms are looking to extend their reach beyond mere IP specialisation and get deeper into the telco vertical, it came this week when Acme Packet said it had agreed to be acquired by Oracle.
The Czech Republic’s largest mobile operator by subscriber numbers T-Mobile Czech Republic has selected Chinese infrastructure vendor Huawei to roll out its LTE network. The operator said that the deal was signed following a successful trial with Huawei in the city of Mlada Boleslav.
Small cell offload represents the most important technology to operators over the next two years, according to the Telecoms.com Intelligence Industry Survey. On a scale of one to five where one is the lowest in importance and five is the highest, a fifth (20.6 per cent) of respondents rated small cell offload five, with a further 40 per cent rating it four.
Swedish network infrastructure vendor Ericsson has posted a SEK6.3bn ($998m) net loss for 4Q12, bringing the firm’s net income for the full year down to SEK5.9bn, less than half of the SEK12.6bn it recorded for 2011. Sales for the quarter improved by five per cent year on year to SEK66.9bn, and remained flat for the full year at SEK227.8bn.
Mobile internet solutions provider Sierra Wireless has sold its mobile broadband device business, Aircard, to networking vendor Netgear for €138m in cash. Meanwhile, home networking and cable provider Belkin has taken Netgear’s rival Linksys off Cisco’s hands for an undisclosed fee.
Tech giant Microsoft has opened a European research centre aimed at providing greater insight into spectrum efficiency as a driver for wireless broadband access. The European Spectrum Observatory has been set up in Brussels, at Microsoft’s Cloud and Interoperability Centre. The firm said that it intends to examine barriers standing in the way of efficient spectrum allocation.
Infrastructure vendor Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has seen its operating profit for 4Q12 increase a staggering 275 per cent year on year. The €251m generated in the quarter dwarfed the €67m recorded in 4Q11, but the performance could not prevent the firm from seeing its annual loss slide to more than two and a half times as deep as 2011; from -€300m in 2011 to -€799m in 2012.
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