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EC nears Comcast/Sky deal approval; Facebook faces EU privacy crackdown

TOP NEWS

* European Union antitrust regulators are close to approving Comcast Corp.'s bid for Sky PLC, Reuters reports, citing sources with knowledge of the matter. The European Commission, which is scheduled to give a ruling regarding Comcast's offer by June 15, is not expected to seek any concessions from Comcast, the sources said.

* Facebook Inc. and other social media companies are facing a crackdown in the European Union that would prohibit them from reading private messages between individual users, London's The Daily Telegraph reports. EU legislators are debating proposed regulations that would enable extra privacy protections for individual users against internet firms.

UK AND IRELAND

* British satellite operator Inmarsat PLC rejected a takeover bid from U.S. satellite company EchoStar Corp. Inmarsat confirmed in a news release that it had received "a highly preliminary and indicative nonbinding proposal" from EchoStar that it said "very significantly undervalued Inmarsat."

* Vodafone Group PLC will pump in funds worth €1 billion into its Indian operations by the end of June, the company said in its annual report for the year ended March 2018. The strategic move is expected to strengthen the future of the scheduled merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular Ltd., now in the final stages of receiving a government go-ahead, and beat intense competition and pressured margins plaguing the telecom operators. Vodafone will hold a stake of not more than 47.5% in Idea.

* Viacom International Media Networks U.K. will launch Paramount Network in the U.K. on July 4, Variety reports. The free-to-air channel, which offers a mix of content, will be scheduled and programmed by Britain's Channel 5 (UK) editorial team under the direction of Ben Frow, director of programs for Channel 5. Viacom International Media Networks U.K. and Channel 5 are owned by Viacom Inc.

* The People's Operator PLC, a London-based mobile virtual network operator, said it is urging its shareholders to approve the proposed sale of its U.S. unit The People's Operator USA LLC, to U.S.-based MVNO Ting Inc. Shareholders are set to vote on the matter in a June 25 meeting.

* British chipmaker Dialog Semiconductor PLC is in talks for a potential merger with U.S. touch-pad technology maker Synaptics Inc., Bloomberg News reports, citing sources familiar with the matter. Exploratory discussions between the two parties are reportedly ongoing and may not lead to a deal.

* Virgin Media is suing the Durham Country Council over allegations that the latter is obstructing efforts to deploy fiber broadband services in the locality, London's The Daily Telegraph reports. The fiber rollout is part of the Liberty Global PLC unit's Project Lightning.

GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND AUSTRIA

* German TV platform M7 is launching its new M7 Livestream service for cable and IP network operators at Cologne-based media and telecommunications industry event ANGA COM.

* U.K. financial investor Pamplona appears to have the best chances for a takeover of German home shopping channel HSE24, WirtschaftsWoche reports, citing sources.

* Rocket Internet SE CEO Oliver Samwer said the company is looking to acquire additional fintech, software and artificial intelligence companies, Handelsblatt reports. The company has cash reserves of €2.6 billion.

FRANCE

* Christine Cauquelin has been appointed as director of Discovery Inc.'s Discovery Channels and documentaries by Vivendi SA unit Canal Plus SA. Reporting to Jean-Marc Juramie, executive vice president of channels and paid programs, Cauquelin is responsible for documentary productions for all the group's channels, including CANAL+, C8 and PLANETE+.

* Radio France is the official radio broadcaster of the French Handball Federation and national partner of the EURO féminin de Handball France 2018, according to a news release. Its stations Franceinfo and France Bleu will broadcast the European Women's Handball Championship, which takes place from Nov. 29 to Dec. 16 in Nantes, Brest, Montbéliard, Nancy and Paris.

* Europe 1, Virgin Radio and RFM will be available on Alexa, Amazon.com Inc.'s voice assistant, when it launches June 13, according to a news release. The Lagardère SCA radio division is taking this step to continue growing its presence in the connected speaker market.

NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG

* As planned, Altice NV said it officially separated from Altice USA Inc. In connection with the separation, Altice NV changed its name to Altice Europe NV. Shares in Altice Europe will begin trading on Euronext Amsterdam under the new name June 12.

* Orange SA unit Orange Belgium announced the launch of its Voice over Wi-Fi and Voice over 4G services. The new services aim to improve communication and coverage quality on locations with or without mobile network connections.

* Tjibbe Joustra has been appointed supervisory board chairman of Dutch public broadcaster NPO, according to a news release by the Dutch government. Joustra, who is also chairman of the Dutch Safety Board, will succeed Bruno Bruins.

* Talpa Holding NV owner John de Mol said he is in talks for a potential collaboration with RTL Nederland, TotaalTV reports. De Mol reportedly believes a partnership is necessary for the two TV companies to compete with international businesses such as Alphabet Inc. unit Google Inc., Facebook and Netflix Inc.

* Dutch technology retailer Leapp, which specializes in refurbished products, has filed for bankruptcy, the company said on its website. Leapp will close its web shop and physical stores, and that the curator is investigating possibilities for a reorganization.

NORDIC COUNTRIES

* Norwegian cable operator NextGenTel Holding ASA said the country's competition authorities have approved the sale of its subsidiary Kvantel AS to Broadnet AS for 250 million Norwegian kroner. The transaction is expected to be finalized by the end of June.

* The Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications said it has circulated a draft digital infrastructure strategy for comments. Key proposals concern the allocation of the first 5G frequencies and the promotion of fiber optic construction.

* Norwegian e-commerce company Komplett ASA said it has inked a cooperation with online bookseller Haugen Bok. Komplett will offer about 30,000 titles offered by Haugen Bok.

SOUTHERN EUROPE

* Telecom Italia SpA CEO Amos Genish anticipates the fixed network spinoff to be completed by early 2019, Telecompaper reports, citing Key4Biz. The legal separation of the fixed network, named Netco, is a "fundamental pillar" to the company, according to Genish.

* Italian telecom infrastructure company Retelit SpA has notified the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the company's exercise of special powers. Retelit said the Ministry for Economic Development has verified the company’s compliance with the requirements necessary for the implementation of the special powers and thereby, would not bring about additional costs and investments.

* Cellnex Telecom SA has signed an agreement worth about €1 million to provide mobile communication services to Spanish car park operator Saba Infraestructuras SA. The towers operator will deploy distributed antenna systems to 43 Saba-operated car parks in Spain.

EASTERN EUROPE

* VEON Ltd. said it completed the sale of Tacom LLC, its operating business in Tajikistan, to ZET Mobile Ltd. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

* Cyfrowy Polsat SA and its mobile arm Plus will be offering internet services from Netia SA to its Smart DOM subscribers at a discounted price, Digital TV Europe reports. The partnership between the two Polish companies comes after Cyfrowy Polsat struck a deal to acquire a minority stake in Netia in December 2017.

* Mobile TeleSystems PJSC and Ericsson have entered into a partnership to provide mobile broadband in seven of the 11 Russian cities hosting the FIFA World Cup. The initiative will allow people to have access to internet connection in stadiums, fan zones and selected transportation hot spots, among other locations.

FEATURED NEWS

Conference Chatter: Infosecurity Europe: Fear of large-scale cyber warfare may be largely overblown: Despite the number of malicious cyberattacks rising rapidly in recent years, fear of large-scale cyber warfare may be largely overblown, according to cybersecurity professionals at the annual Infosecurity Europe conference in London.

Anne Freier, Amanda Kelly, Koen Pijnappels and Esben Svendsen contributed to this report.

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