Eurobites: BT helps get 4G to Scotland's nether regions

BT has been updating on its participation in the government-led Scottish 4G Infill program (S4GI), which has seen its mobile coverage extended to previously unconnected outposts of the Highlands and Islands region, thanks to 13 new 4G masts installed as part of the program the this year. One organization feeling the benefit is a medical practice on the Isle of Jura, which can now communicate more effectively with its helicopter landing pad in the event of an emergency. Some of the masts in the S4GI program are being used by EE as part of its Emergency Services Network (ESN) rollout – a rollout that to date has been anything but smooth. (See Doubts grow over viability of UK's LTE-based ESN.)

Nokia has begun deploying its converged charging software for Vodafone in several of the operator's European markets, drawing on a cloud-based delivery model that, says the vendor, allows Vodafone to tap into new revenue streams from 5G-based services such as so-called network slicing. Alberto Ripepi, Vodafone's chief network officer, said: "By leveraging the scale of our pan-European and African networks, we can help customers manage factory equipment, open developer marketplaces using our APIs, and enable enterprises to offer bespoke products to their own customers."

Nokia has also been chosen by Georgian operator Cellfie Mobile to upgrade its nationwide network, with an eye on a potential 5G future following a scheduled spectrum auction later this month. Nokia will be the sole RAN supplier in the deal, bringing gear from its AirScale product range.

UK converged operator Virgin Media O2 and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) have published a report which claims that £65.1 billion (US$83.3 billion) could be added to the UK economy and employment could be increased by 6.8% through job creation if rural areas had access to better connectivity. The Great Rural Revival focuses on four sectors key to the UK's rural economy, namely tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and small businesses, with the East of England highlighted as the region that stands to benefit most from digital connectivity upgrades.

Search giant Google has managed to placate Italy's competition watchdog over market abuse charges with promised changes to its data backup service, Reuters reports. AGCM had opened an investigation into Google's data practices following a complaint from Hoda, an Italian startup that accused Google of more or less preventing its users from sharing their personal data with other digital platforms.