Europe

Former BT CEO Ben Verwaayen has turned down the job of CEO at Alcatel-Lucent, according to a TelecomPaper report that cites the Wall Street Journal. The network equipment maker has now reportedly launched a global search to fill the position after Verwaayen allegedly rebuffed its approach a few days ago.

Spain's Telefonica is expected to finalise a deal to buy Telecom Italia's German broadband operator, HanseNet, within the next few days, reports Reuters.

Russian investor Alfa Group is planning to combine its minority stakes in Russian mobile operator Megafon and Turkey's Turkcell into a single company, the Wall Street Journal reports.

MTS, Russia's largest mobile operator, is seeking permission to acquire smaller regional rival SMARTS, Russia's state competition watchdog said late last week. In a statement, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) confirmed that a petition was filed in July and that the body was considering the request, reports Reuters.

British Telecom (BT) is reported to be owed "tens of millions of pounds" by the UK's five mobile operators following a ruling on mobile termination rates.

The European mobile TV market has experienced momentum today. First up, Dutch operator KPN has launched nationwide services based on DVB-H technology and kit from Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks.

Reuters reports that Apple has issued a software update for the iPhone 3G device to help fix connection problems that led to complaints from around the world.