Eurobites: TIM brings Oracle into its cloud fold

Telecom Italia (TIM) is to integrate Oracle's cloud infrastructure into its own managed cloud services offering to the private and public sectors. In addition, TIM will become the host partner for Oracle's second planned cloud region in Italy, which will be based in TIM's Turin data center. The Oracle goodies on offer from TIM will include the US company's Container Engine for Kubernetes and Cloud VMware Solution. Oracle already has a cloud region based around Milan.

The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) has signed an agreement with China's ZTE to facilitate the supply of telecom network gear and training to telcos operating within ICIEC member states, which include Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq and Qatar. The ICIEC is a Shariah-based insurer and member of the Islamic Development Bank Group.

Openreach, the semi-autonomous network access arm of UK operator BT, has announced a further 84 new exchange locations where it intends to halt the sale of traditional copper-based fixed-line services as it continues its quest to persuade Brits to switch to new digital services over full-fiber connections. Customers in these exchanges not yet able to get BT's Ultrafast Full Fibre offering at their premises won't be affected, and can stay on their existing copper-based service until full fiber becomes available. Openreach is giving communications service providers that use its infrastructure – namely BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone – a year's notice that it will no longer be selling "legacy" analog products and services where full fiber becomes available to more than 75% of premises in these new exchange locations.

Emirates operator du has introduced an in-car 4G Wi-Fi hotspot that as well as offering general Internet access also provides vehicle-related monitoring and security information, diagnostics and maintenance notifications. Called Smart Car, the device can support up to 20 devices simultaneously. Driver distraction ahoy!

The M-PESA Foundation, an independent charity linked to the Safaricom-owned M-PESA mobile money platform, has teamed up with the Red Cross to provide aid to 3,000 families affected by floods in Kenya. The Foundation has set aside 30 million Kenyan shillings (US$222,000) towards its flood response efforts in the three counties of Nairobi, Tana River and Kisumu.