FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced Thursday that Troy Tanner, deputy chief of the Space Bureau, will serve as acting chief of the FCC Office of International Affairs. The position is considered critical as FCC work heats up in preparation for the next World Radiocommunication Conference. Tanner replaces Ethan Lucarelli, who died suddenly in May (see 2405150037). Lucarelli was the new office's first chief. A 14-year FCC veteran, Tanner previously served as deputy chief of the former International Bureau, and was formerly a lawyer at Bingham McCutchen and Swidler Berlin.

BT Group is the first European provider to achieve 5G carrier aggregation using five spectrum blocks, boosting its 5G stand-alone (SA) performance ahead of a network launch later this year, a Friday news release said. The technology “will significantly boost the data rates available to customers in areas of high demand by combining all mid-band radio spectrum when the 5G SA device requires a high-speed connection,” BT said. Tests were conducted at BT Group’s headquarters in Adastral Park, U.K., using Nokia’s 5G AirScale portfolio and a device that a Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G modem powered. The “promise” of 5G SA “is the opportunity to stay connected at the busiest of times in the most crowded of places,” said Greg McCall, BT Group chief networks officer. “5G SA isn’t just about what’s on offer at launch, it’s also about creating a platform for advancements down the line in terms of the new services and capabilities it will deliver to consumers and businesses alike,” he said.

Telecom Italia (TIM) completed the sale of its fixed network infrastructure and other assets to the Optics BidCo consortium, a subsidiary of investment firm KKR, in a deal valued at $24 billion, the company said this week. “The completion of the transaction with KKR and the Italian Ministry of Finance is the result of two and a half years of intense work, during which we have improved the management of TIM and identified industrial and financial solutions that will enable us to meet future challenges,” TIM CEO Pietro Labriola said.

In a first for Canada, Rogers Communications trialed 5G Cloud-Radio Access Network technology during a live event on Monday. Held during a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game at Rogers Centre, the trial highlighted the telecom's network partner Ericsson's Cloud RAN solution. “Cloud-native technology is a critical component in the next generation of wireless networks,” and builds on Rogers’ stand-alone 5G network, said Ron McKenzie, the company's chief technology officer.

The EU isn't on track to meet its 2030 digital transformation targets, the European Commission said in its second report on the state of the digital decade. It found gaps in investment at EU and national levels in digital skills, high-quality connectivity, AI take-up and data analytics by enterprises, semiconductor production and startups. The report pressed EU governments to "be more ambitious," saying reaching digital decade goals is critical for the bloc's continuing prosperity and social cohesion. In addition, the report found 5G networks reach just 50% of the EU's territory and don't perform well enough to deliver advanced 5G services. Other concerns include European companies' uptake of AI, cloud and/or big data are well below the target of 75%, and that the spread of digital technologies is limited outside big cities. Moreover, the report noted, digital skills targets "are still far from being achieved, with only 55.6% of the EU population having at least basic digital skills." EU members have until Dec. 2 to adjust policies to align with the targets of the digital decade program.

Finland’s Nokia is acquiring California-based Infinera for $2.3 billion to bolster its optical networks business, a late news release said Thursday.

America Movil (AMX) will acquire a controlling interest in ClaroVTR, its joint venture with Liberty Latin America, subject to approval from the Chilean National Economic Prosecutor’s Office. The two providers combined their Chilean operations into a JV in 2022, but going forward AMX will control approximately 91% of equity, LLA 9%. David Hajj, CEO of AMX, expects to close the deal in Q3, establishing “a converged connectivity provider” in Chile.

Hikvision representatives met with FCC Office of Engineering and Technology staff seeking guidance on the commission’s information disclosure rules, said a filing last week in docket 21-232. Representatives explained that ownership of the China-based company is complicated. “OET acknowledged the challenges of gathering the information and Hikvision advised that it would update its disclosure as it obtains additional information,” the filing said.

Dahua Technology fired back at IPVM as the two continue fighting about Dahua USA’s request for confidentially on its compliance plan with FCC supply chain security rules (see 2405310033). “IPVM’s latest filings continue the organization’s pattern of presenting misrepresentations, baseless speculation, and outright falsehoods about Dahua USA to the Commission as fact,” a filing posted Wednesday in docket 21-232 said: The FCC should “disregard IPVM’s irrelevant and inaccurate claims.”

Vodafone Group completed Zegona Communications' acquisition of Vodafone Spain for $5.4 billion, Vodafone said Friday. The U.K.-based company announced the sale in October. Spanish regulators recently approved the deal (see 2405150022).