The European Commission has informed software solutions specialist Broadcom of its preliminary view that its proposed acquisition of enterprise software provider VMware may restrict competition in the market for certain hardware components which interoperate with VMware’s virtualisation software. In December 2022, the Commission opened an in-depth investigation to assess if Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware may […]

There’s growing interest in High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) which can take the form of very high-flying aircraft or balloons and airships. Thales Alenia Space has won a contract from the European Commission to proceed with development of its EuroHAPS project. The contract is worth €43 million and will fund a demonstration craft which Thales […]

Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market at the European Commission, has suggested that Europe has all it takes to lead the connectivity revolution. Delivering a Keynote Speech at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, he told delegates that “this is where the vision of the future of connectivity becomes reality, with all the newest […]

Following the European Commission’s launch of a consultation on a proposal to make content companies pay government-mandated fees to broadband providers, science and technology policy think tank the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), has called for rejection of the plan. “The Internet ecosystem relies on negotiated agreements between broadband providers and content companies,” says […]

The European Commission has presented a set of actions aimed to make Gigabit connectivity available to all citizens and businesses across the EU by 2030, in line with the objectives of Europe’s Digital Decade, and to enable the transformation of the connectivity sector in the EU. The initiatives on Connectivity consist of: First, the Commission […]

Ahead of the European Commission’s closed-door hearing on the Microsoft-Activision merger in Brussels, Communications Workers of America (CWA) President Chris Shelton has sent a letter to Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, urging her to consider seriously the positive impact the merger could have on the video game labour market, as workers […]

Trade body the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) has submitted its input to the European Commission’s (EC) call for evidence on its ‘Combating online piracy of live content’ initiative. “As signatories to the Call To Action to End Live Piracy Now, we would like to restate that an EU legislative instrument still remains the most efficient […]

Viasat’s $7.3 billion attempt to acquire London-based Inmarsat has hit a potential problem following an “in-depth” investigation by the a European Commission (EC), which says it is “concerned that the transaction may allow Viasat to reduce competition in the market for the supply of broadband in-flight connectivity (IFC) services to commercial airlines”. The Viasat/Inmarsat deal, […]

Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone are to form a joint venture for the implementation of a privacy-by-design digital marketing technology platform in Europe that they say could benefit consumers, advertisers and publishers alike. The creation of this new entity has been approved by the European Commission, pursuant to the European Union Merger Regulation. The […]

The European Commission (EC) has opened an in-depth investigation to assess, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition by semiconductor and infrastructure software solutions specialist Broadcom of enterprise software provider VMWare. The EC is particularly concerned that the transaction would allow Broadcom to restrict competition in the market for certain hardware components which interoperate […]