Key Reports

Verizon and Ericsson complete the first outdoor 6G call in the 7GHz band

Ericsson and Verizon indicate that they have successfully completed a live 6G call in the 7GHz band for the first time during outdoor performance and indoor coverage tests.

Today's EMEA regional updates also include: VEON acquiring Rub token issuance in Uzbekistan; TIM management adjustments; and the Wi-Fi issues for remote workers in the UK.

Microsoft has withdrawn from a project described as the largest AI data center in the UK to date, citing concerns about delays in the power supply access at the proposed location. The project is located in Essex in the southeast of England and was led by Nscale, supported by NVIDIA's UK headquarters. Nscale insists that the project will still proceed, and according to BBC, they are seeking alternative power sources. The data center was originally scheduled to be connected to the power grid by the end of this year, but later it was informed that this would have to be postponed until at least 2030. Nscale and Microsoft are still working together on data center projects in Norway, Portugal, and the United States. (See also " Nscale Makes a Big Bet on the UK's AI Hyper-Scale Cloud Service Market" and "Nokia Also Joins In.")

Based in Dubai, VEON acquired Rub's token issuance platform Wireless for $207 million. Rub token issuance platform is operated under the Perfectum brand. VEON stated that this transaction has provided complementary spectrum and network assets for their business in Uzbekistan, including 115MHz of spectrum covering the 850MHz and 3,800MHz frequency bands, as well as network equipment and infrastructure assets, which include a 5G standalone network deployed with Nokia equipment. (See also "Telecommunications is the cheapest way to distribute AI – VEON").

Telecom Italia ( TIM ) is undergoing high-level personnel adjustments. Mirko Mischiatti from Poste Italiane has been appointed as the Chief Business Officer of the company, while Claudio Ongaro has been promoted from within to become the Chief Technology Officer. The above appointments follow the news that Elio Schiavo and Leonardo will leave TIM at the end of the year. The state-owned Poste Italiane launched a takeover bid for TIM in July. (See also " TIM Becomes Closer to Nationalization through Poste Italiane " and " Poste Italiane Acquisition Will Accelerate TIM's Ambitions – CEO ".)

Connection service provider Arelion indicates that its Helsinki-Warsaw high-speed fiber optic line is seeing growing momentum in business in the Baltic region, with several new corporate and wholesale customers having recently connected to it. This line is part of a network that connects Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, and can also be extended to neighboring countries.

According to research by the British pay-TV and broadband provider Sky, Britons working from home are constantly apologizing for unstable internet connections; more than half of remote workers have turned off their webcams during video calls to maintain a stable connection. Sky is promoting its new 1.6Gbit/s broadband package. Over two-fifths of employees say that the phrase "Sorry, my internet is down again" has become a part of their daily work life. Of course, they might just be having a particularly bad day with their hair...

Read more about:

Europe