News In Brief: TeliaSonera, Skype, Telekom Slovenije, Google

TeliaSonera has begun upgrading its fixed-line broadband network in Sweden, Denmark and Norway with a VDSL2 solution from Ericsson. Rollout will take a year.

Bidders for France's 3G spectrum will have to pay at least €120 million for each of the two blocks to be licensed on the 2.1Ghz band.
 
Skype has stopped offering mobile apps Skype for Windows Phones and Skype Lite, stating that neither app “offered a great Skype experience.” Skype for Symbian is still available.
 
Slovenian operator Telekom Slovenije's net profit fell 71% to €24.6 million in 2009, despite a slim 1% increase in revenue. Spending soared due to the purchase of Macedonian mobile operator Cosmofon, as well as network investment outlays.
 
Google could spend hundreds of millions of dollars on its experimental 1Gbps broadband network, depending on demographics and the number of users served.
 
A US mother has successfully lobbied a judge to declare that a video she posted of her toddler dancing to a Universal Music Group track constituted fair use, after the music label served her with a take-down notice. The case could have implications for copyright holders which ignore fair use provisions.
 
Lantiq, a maker of semiconductors for next-gen access and home networks, has secured an undisclosed amount in funding from T-Venture, the investment arm of Deutsche Telekom. The manufacturer supplies 34% of the world’s xDSL ports , and generated revenue of $450 million (€329 million) in 2009.
 
China Telecom plans to purchase five million 3G handsets over the next seven days, to boost sales in the mid-tier segment. Local reports state the carrier expects to pay 700-1,999 yuan (€75-214) per device.