Also in today’s EMEA regional roundup: Sparkle, Turkcell plan link from Izmir to Milan; CMA drops probe into Microsoft/OpenAI’s coziness; Ericsson bags network upgrade gig in Zimbabwe.
Orange is to offer its “5G+” (5G standalone) service to consumers in parts of France that have the requisite 3.5GHz mobile coverage, claiming that it is the first such 5G+ mobile offering on the consumer market. The “Special Series 180 Go 5G+” offer, as it is called, promises dedicated bandwidth that will, according to Orange, “guarantee quality of service and continuity of entertainment even when the 5G network is heavily used.” Orange launched a similar service for businesses about a month ago, and last year it started to use 5G SA to underpin a fixed wireless access (FWA) service for residential customers called 5G+ Home. (See Orange dishes up slices of 5G standalone to biz users.)
Sparke, Turkcell plan Izmir-Milan link
Sparkle, the (for now) international services arm of Telecom Italia, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkcell on the creation of a new 4,000km subsea cable link between Izmir in Turkey and Milan. The route will see a new cable being laid from Izmir to Chania (on the Greek island of Crete), which will be extended to Milan on the existing BlueMed cable system.
CMA cool with the coziness of Microsoft and OpenAI
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has dropped its investigation into Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI, reaching the conclusion that the partnership, in its current form, does not give rise to a “relevant merger situation” and that it does not believe that Microsoft currently controls OpenAI’s commercial policy – though it says Microsoft “exerts a high level of material influence over that policy.” The decision, says the CMA, takes account of recent developments in the relationship between the two entities (OpenAI is still classed as a non-profit organization). (See ChatGPT prompts excitement and fear about the AI future.)
Ericsson upgrades Econet in Zimbabwe
Ericsson has landed a 5G network upgrade contract with Econet Wireless Zimbabwe. The operator plans to add 5G core cloud-native network functions as it prepares to introduce the 5G SA variant on its network. Econet will also introduce Ericsson’s Cloud Core Exposure Server (CCES), that will, says Ericsson, enable Econet to securely expose core network capabilities to developers through application programmable interfaces (APIs).
Also read: https://brandspurng.com/2025/03/07/union-bank-rewards-452-customers-in-unionkorrect-draws/
Intracom’s WiBAS G5 system gets more whizz
Greek operator Intracom Telecom has upgraded its WiBAS G5 mmWave fixed wireless access offering. The system now comes with 2Gbit/s download speeds, doubling its current capacity. The WiBAS G5 system operates in the mmWave spectrum (24.25-29.50GHz licensed bands) and features Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) and Active Antenna System (AAS) with hybrid beamforming technologies.
Eutelsat in the mix for Italy’s secure satellite connectivity?
Eutelsat is in talks with the Italian government over supplying systems for secure, encrypted satellite connectivity, possibly at the expense of Elon Musk’s Starlink, Reuters reports, citing two officials who asked not to be identified. With Musk becoming increasingly involved in the more controversial* aspects of the Trump administration, some have begun to wonder about the future of Starlink’s role within Europe. (See Eurobites: Orange and Eutelsat link up for satellite Internet in Africa, Middle East.)
Put yer bloody phone down, part 94
Over a third of movie-streaming Gen Z-ers spend more time scrolling their phones for facts relating to the film being streamed than they do actually watching the damn film, silly-season research from UK operator Three concludes.
*Other adjectives are available.
