Telecommunications

The Greek government is waiting for the European Commission to publish its report on the development of fifth-generation cell telephony (5G) networks before deciding on a provider, Digital Governance Minister Kyriakos Pierakakis said on Thursday.

Vodafone Greece announced on Thursday that its cellphone network subscribers will have unlimited data usage for just 2 euros each throughout this month, after all three of Greece's major operators offered free internet access for a period of seven to 10 days over Christmas.

On the first day of the year, the European emergency number 112 became fully operational in Greece, the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, which will be responsible for the service, has said.

Cosmote is Greece's first mobile communications provider to prepare for the 5G era via a network upgrade contract it is to sign soon with Sweden's Ericsson.

The estimated €170 million contract, expected to be signed early January, includes both fourth- and fifth-generation equipment. It involves upgrading existing base stations and antennas across Greece as well as creating new ones.

The Turkish government is in the works to prepare a bill that will allow for troop deployment to Libya, and the parliament is expected to discuss the matter after its recess, according to state broadcaster Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT).

The US Ambassador in Bucharest "spoke badly about the Chinese 5G technology without any reason at all," said the Chinese Embassy's spokesman in Bucharest, Tang Fujian, in a statement released on Tuesday.

Cellphone call, text and internet charges, which in Greece are the second highest in the European Union, will be aligned across the bloc with a single telecommunications contract model, according to a decision by the European Commission.

Some 44 percent of Turkish children aged 9 to 14 face cyberbullying on the internet, a new survey conducted by the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) showed.

The development of fifth-generation cell telephony (5G) networks in Greece has been caught in the crossfire of the US-China trade war. That conflict's outcome is yet to be seen and pressure is growing on the Greek side, which has turned to the European Commission for protection.

Chinese technology company Xiaomi announced on Tuesday that its mobile devices and TVs will now have the capability to warn about earthquakes without the use of third-party applications.