A new intelligent optical distribution network (iODN) has been successfully deployed for the Russian telco Rostelecom, marking the first such deployment and bringing improved services to experiences to its broadband subscribers.

Bengt Nordstrom, founder of industry consultancy NorthStream, shares a series of predictions for the mobile industry in 2013. In this fourth instalment he says that the managed services market will consolidate next year, down to a three-player market, as competition intensifies.

Chinese infrastructure vendor ZTE has extended its strategic partnership agreement with China Development Bank (CDB). As a result, CDB will expand its financing facility for ZTE to $20bn. In 2005, CDB and ZTE began their cooperation, agreeing a facility of $8bn, and then in 2009, the same year rival Huawei signed a $30bn deal with the CDB, the facility was increased to $15bn.

Chinese infrastructure vendor Huawei claims that if the anticipated benefits of fibre-based broadband are to be realised in the UK, issues such as the shortage of digital skills across many industries and old-fashioned working practices and business processes need to be addressed. If they are not, the emergence of superfast broadband connections could result in UK companies outsourcing more jobs abroad rather than creating them locally.

Chinese infrastructure vendor Huawei has offered the Australian government unrestricted access to its source code and equipment in a bid to clear its name amid security concerns regarding its ties with the Chinese government.

A US House Intelligence Committee report warned the country’s operators that Chinese infrastructure vendor ZTE and its domestic rival Huawei, pose a threat to the country’s national security. In the wake of the report, David Dai Shu, ZTE’s director of global public affairs, spoke to Telecoms.com to give his comopany’s side of the story.

Russian operator VimpelCom will transfer 1,300 staff to Chinese infrastructure vendor Huawei, as part of a five-year managed services deal.