Eurobites: Sky launches MVNO with Italy's Fastweb

Sky is launching a mobile service in Italy, using Fastweb's network and providing 5G services right from the off. Sky already uses Fastweb's fixed network for its Sky Wifi "ultrabroadband" service. According to Ookla figures cited by Sky, Fastweb boasts the fastest mobile network in Italy, as well as 99% coverage. Sky launched its first MVNO in 2017 in the UK, where it piggy-backs on the O2 network and lays claim to more than 3 million customers.

Eutelsat OneWeb has landed another satellite connectivity gig, this time with South Korea's Hanwha Systems. OneWeb says its low Earth orbit satellite constellation is particularly well suited to South Korea's challenging terrain of mountains and islands.

Belgium's Proximus has chosen cloud-native software from UK-based Velocix Analytics to streamline the delivery of its Pickx multiscreen video services. The software provides insights into the performance of the Velocix content delivery network and detailed metrics on the customers' viewing experience. Proximus lays claim to around 1.7 million TV customers.

Meanwhile, on the mobile front, Proximus has been testing its 5G slicing capabilities with cashless payment provider EventPay in the Belgian city of Dendermonde. In the test, the network set-up included a dedicated slice with a guaranteed capacity for payment handling, accessible only to a limited number of EventPay devices. The hope is that 5G slicing will make allow traders at Belgium's numerous Christmas fairs to accept cashless payments in an efficient and reliable manner.

ICASA, the South African communications regulator, has issued a stern warning to Starlink, the Elon Musk-owned satellite Internet company, that it risks being fined up to 10% of its annual turnover if it doesn't stop doing business in South Africa without the appropriate licences in place. "The Authority has indicated previously, through numerous media engagements, that Starlink does not hold any licence issued by the Authority to provide electronic communications, electronic communications network or broadcasting services in South Africa," ICASA's statement thundered.

Uber, the company behind the near-ubiquitous ride-hailing app of the same name, is hoping to lure London's black-cab drivers onto its platform, offering them a commission-free deal for the first six months. But, as Reuters reports, the general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, Steve McNamara, dismissed the offer, saying his members "have no interest in sullying the name of London's iconic, world-renowned black cab trade by aligning it with Uber, its poor safety record and everything else that comes with it."

Vodafone Business has launched a new SD-LAN (software-defined local-area network) managed service built on Juniper Networks' Mist AI technology, which uses a combination of AI, machine learning and data science techniques to improve the user experience and simplify operations.

Swisscom has come up trumps once again in the latest Connect test of Swiss operators, scoring 981 points out of a possible 1,000 – a test record, says Connect. However, all three operators being assessed – Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt – made it into the "outstanding" category (a first for Salt).