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Nokia has agreed to sell its private wireless unit, Enterprise Campus Edge (ECE), to private equity firm Aurelius for an undisclosed sum. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2027. According to Nokia, ECE will benefit from greater independence under Aurelius' ownership. ECE specializes in private wireless technology, claiming around 900 customers across industries such as manufacturing, mining and logistics. Subject to the usual consultations and negotiations, ECE employees are expected to transfer over to Aurelius in accordance with local laws.
Konstanty Owczarek, Nokia's chief corporate development officer, said that the planned deal "supports Nokia’s strategy to sharpen its portfolio and direct capital and resources to the areas where it can create the greatest long-term value."
Suspicions that a sale of the ECE unit was on the cards were raised last year when Nokia included it in a "portfolio businesses" grouping of underperforming and unwanted assets. (See Calm down: Nokia is still in private 5G (sort of).)
Arrests made over Starlink fire in Poland
Three people have now been detained in Germany over a fire believed to have been started deliberately at a Starlink site in central Poland last month, according to a Reuters report (paywall may apply). The blaze overwhelmed the site's power system and backup generator. The Polish authorities said at the time of the fire that they believed it was an act of sabotage commissioned by Russia and intended to disrupt satellite Internet services used by Ukraine's armed forces. (See Kyvistar drafts in Starlink to bolster war-damaged network.)
Space Norway chooses Ciena for cable upgrade
Space Norway has chosen Ciena to upgrade its subsea cable systems. The project involves modernizing Space Norway's existing Svalbard system and deploying advanced networking technology on the new Arctic Way system, which is expected to come into service in 2028. Space Norway provides mission-critical communications for research, scientific and national security organizations in the Arctic region.
BT scrubs up security, adopts soap strategy
BT has launched something called (deep breath) Security Operations Centre-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) for Microsoft Sentinel, billed as the answer to AI-turbocharged cybersecurity threats for private and public sector organizations.
More interestingly, BT is putting its broadband routers in the Rovers Return pretend pub as part of a bizarre/wildly imaginative (delete where applicable) product placement campaign involving the UK's top two TV soaps, Coronation Street and Emmerdale. According to BT's blurb, the "dual soap product placement is the first time a brand has united Coronation Street and Emmerdale in one bespoke partnership ad featuring elements from both programmes." There might be a reason for that… (See Why BT's boss may think now's the time to dig out the old brand.)
Sparkle bolsters Infront network
Sparkle, the (for now) international services arm of Telecom Italia, is providing Swiss media company Infront with dedicated international capacity services between Milan, Frankfurt and Paris. The new links, says Sparkle, will improve the performance of Infront's network infrastructure, supporting the distribution of live sports content across Europe. (See TIM starts 'second journey' after situation normal is achieved, says CEO.)
Bouygues outsources to iBasic
France's Bouygues Telecom is outsourcing its international voice wholesale and IPX services to iBasis. The agreement also covers international roaming negotiation and operational management activities. According to the two companies, the deal means Bouygues Telecom becomes the first independent European operator to adopt a model in which a neutral wholesale specialist aggregates traffic volumes to help independents compete more effectively.
EXA's new routes
EXA Infrastructure has completed two new routes in Europe, one between Milan and Zurich and other linking Paris to Vienna. Both routes complete or extend longer corridors that run through Frankfurt, adding capacity for the anticipated increase in largely AI-generated traffic. They are built on low-loss G.652.D fiber with dark fiber, spectrum and wavelength services available on both routes. (See EXA to lay new transatlantic cable as AI gobbles capacity.)
Gigaclear ahead of schedule on rural rollout
UK altnet Gigaclear says it has completed its fiber rollout in rural North Oxfordshire four months ahead of schedule. The rollout, which covers 3,880 homes and businesses, was awarded to Gigaclear by Building Digital UK (BDUK) as part of the UK government-funded Project Gigabit program. The contract was worth £8.2 million (US$10.8 million). In April, the Financial Times reported (paywall may apply) that a group of 11 lenders had taken control of Gigaclear after taking a "haircut" on their loans to the company.
About the Author
Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading
Paul is based on the Isle of Wight, a rocky outcrop off the English coast that is home only to a colony of technology journalists and several thousand puffins.
He has worked as a writer and copy editor since the age of William Caxton, covering the design industry, D-list celebs, tourism and much, much more.
During the noughties Paul took time out from his page proofs and marker pens to run a small hotel with his other half in the wilds of Exmoor. There he developed a range of skills including carrying cooked breakfasts, lying to unwanted guests and stopping leaks with old towels.
Now back, slightly befuddled, in the world of online journalism, Paul is thoroughly engaged with the modern world, regularly firing up his VHS video recorder and accidentally sending text messages to strangers using a chipped Nokia feature phone.