• Telefónica courts developers
• DZS buys Optelian
• Nokia boasts fixed wireless access slicing

A call for 5G and edge startups, a network transport tech acquisition and some slicing action top the bill in today’s news line-up.

• Telefónica has put out a call for startups that have “at least one 5G and/or edge computing-based service, product or use case” to join its Wayra Activation Programme and get the chance to try out their developments on the Spanish telco giant’s 5G and edge computing infrastructure. See this announcement for more details.
• DZS, the fixed access infrastructure vendor formerly known as DASAN Zhone Solutions, has acquired optical networking vendor Optelian for an undisclosed sum: The acquired operation will “form a new DZS ‘O-series’ product line that will enhance the DZS Mobile Transport portfolio with environmentally hardened optical transport products optimized for mobile backhaul.” For further details, see this press release.
• Nokia says it has successfully piloted 4G and 5G fixed wireless access network slicing with Saudi Arabian telecommunications services provider Mobily on its live commercial network. The automated slicing capability was announced in October with this press release,  Now Nokia says it’s made it happen with a 4G/LTE and 5G non-standalone (NSA) and 5G standalone (SA) network pilot. The operator was able to divide its network into multiple virtual networks and offer FWA service tiers and premium services to its customers utilizing advanced network resource allocation mechanisms. There’s a full explanation here.
• Alibaba founder Jack Ma has reappeared, reports the BBC. Ma fuelled a bucket-load of conspiracy theories recently by going AWOL late last year after he took a verbal swipe at the country’s authorities, a move that led to the last-minute cancellation of his Ant Group IPO. But now a new set of theories will no doubt be concocted about his reappearance.
• Netflix now has more than 200 million subscribers that spend hours looking for something they really want to watch, it reported in its fourth quarter earnings documents. (If you're looking for something, though, we recommend Call My Agent.)
• Optical components firm Lumentum has announced the $5.7 billion cash and stock acquisition of photonics and lasers specialist Coherent in a move that will accelerate “Lumentum's penetration of the more than $10 billion market for lasers and photonics outside of the communications and 3D sensing applications.” Diversification is the name of the game here: Lumentum says the acquisition will put it in a better place to “serve the needs of a global customer base increasingly dependent on photonics to enable important end-market transitions including the shift to digital and virtual approaches to work and life, the transition to 5G in wireless networking, advanced bioinstrumentation, advanced microelectronics, and new materials for next generation consumer electronic devices, flat panel and OLED displays, communications equipment, electric and autonomous vehicles, and energy storage.” For further details on the deal, see this announcement. 
• The announcement came as both Lumentum and Coherent announced their latest preliminary financials: For the three months to 2 January, Coherent generated revenues in the range of $325-327 million and operating income of $36.1-37.9 million; and Lumentum reported revenues of around $478.8 million and an operating margin of operating margin in the range of 22.6% to 24.1%. Lumentum shareholders clearly aren’t happy with the acquisition, as its share price dropped more than 10% on Tuesday’s news, while Coherent’s stock gained 31% in value.
• The controversial Swedish 5G auction, which was delayed after legal challenges from Huawei (which has been excluded from the country’s 5G network builds), was over almost as soon as it began: “After one day of auction and four rounds, the auctions in the 3.5 GHz and 2.3 GHz bands are concluded,” noted Swedish regulator PTS. The auction raised SEK2.32 billion (US$277.5 million). Telia landed the most spectrum, with 120 MHz in the 3620-3720 MHz band. For the full details of which operators got what, and for how much, see this announcement by the PTS. 
• Verizon has teamed up with 3D games development platform specialist Unity to “enable new digital experiences ranging from entertainment applications to enterprise toolkits using 5G, mobile edge compute (MEC) and real-time 3D technology.” Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business, stated: “We are entering an era of technology-led disruption where 5G and MEC will not only transform the full enterprise lifecycle, it will change the way consumers experience gaming and entertainment.” Read more.  
• Networking-as-a-service specialist PacketFabric has launched Cloud Router, a “multi-cloud connectivity solution” that can provide enterprises, including SMEs, “connectivity to colocation, hybrid cloud and multi-cloud” platforms. Read more.
• SD-WAN player Versa Networks has launched the Versa ACE (Accelerate, Captivate, Engage) Partner Program, its “first formal global channel partner program for VARs, SIs, SPs and MSPs,” a move made necessary because of the “unprecedented demand for Versa Secure SD-WAN and Versa SASE [Secure Access Service Edge],” the company claims. Read more.

- The staff, TelecomTV