Eurobites: Nokia bolsters boffins' network of networks

BT has installed 5G test facilities at Qualcomm's research lab in Farnborough, UK, to validate new 5G technologies that the operator hopes will help it deploy and monetize 5G features and services more quickly.

BT has also landed a seven-year networks deal with NATS, the air navigation specialist formerly known as National Air Traffic Services. NATS' critical data network will become BT's responsibility, while BT will also upgrade the organization's cybersecurity setup. NATS provides air traffic services at 14 UK airports and manages all UK airspace from two air traffic control centers, one in Scotland and one in the south of England.

Liberty Global, which holds a big stake in the UK's Virgin Media O2 and several other European cable operations, has farmed out the development of its Horizon video platform to Infosys, the India-based multinational IT services giant, in a five-year deal worth €1.5 billion (US$1.6 billion). If all goes well and the contract is extended to eight years, Infosys will pocket €2.3 billion ($2.5 billion). Liberty Global will also license the platform to Infosys so that it can offer the technology to new operators in new markets "outside the Liberty family," though Liberty Global says it will "continue to control product roadmaps" and retain all intellectual property relating to the Horizon platform. The move represents the extension of an existing relationship between the two companies.

Netflix is beta testing the playing of video games through select TVs in the UK and Canada, as well as PCs and Macs through Netflix.com on supported browsers. Two games will be used for this limited initial test: Oxenfree from Night School Studio, a Netflix Game Studio, and Molehew's Mining Adventure, a gem-mining arcade game.

Pipcall, a UK-based provider of hosted telephony services for small and midsized businesses, has appointed former Orange SVP Duncan Ward as its new CEO. Ward's focus will be on increasing sales of Mobile+, Pipcall's unified communications offering. He succeeds Simon Hochhauser, the founder and previous CEO, who becomes executive chairman.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading