Alfa, the Lebanese wireless carrier managed by Orascom Telecom, working with Nokia, launched that nation's first 4G LTE-Advanced network, Nokia said in a news release Tuesday. “The network enables Alfa to offer its subscribers significantly higher download speeds of up to 262.5 Mbits/sec for accessing high-definition video and other data-intensive applications.”

Neustar said it will continue to provide number portability services in Canada to telecom carriers under an agreement with the Canadian LNP Consortium. The pact with CLNPC is through 2018, said Steve Edwards, Neustar senior vice president-data solutions, in a release Tuesday. “This agreement benefits Canadian consumers and service providers and provides an opportunity to build on Neustar’s exceptional performance and customer support for the industry.” CLNPC President Jacques Sarrazin said in the release: "The Canadian telecommunications industry has signaled its continued confidence in Neustar's ability to provide uninterrupted and reliable number portability services. We believe this step is critical to positioning the CLNPC in planning for 2019 and beyond, and we look forward to ongoing discussions with Neustar with respect to future requirements for number portability services in Canada.” Neustar lost its number portability contract with the FCC for the U.S. (see 1607250029).

TechFreedom joined Engage Cuba, a coalition of companies, trade associations and civil society organizations seeking to end the travel and trade embargo on Cuba. “Normalizing relations with Cuba is a win-win, especially for technology,” said TechFreedom Policy Counsel Tom Struble in a Friday news release. “Lifting the embargo opens a new market for American companies, and Cubans will gain access to online services that provide jobs, foster free speech, and enable more cultural diffusion.” For example, Airbnb would help Cubans make money from an influx of travelers, he said: “Travel is essential to the Cuban tech sector, as U.S. companies and experts need the freedom to help spur startups and accelerate broadband deployment on the Island.”

An Irish High Court judge Tuesday accepted the U.S. government, two technology associations and a U.S.-based privacy group as amici curiae in a case involving Facebook's use of standard contractual clauses to transfer Europeans' personal data across the Atlantic (see 1607060009). But Justice Brian McGovern refused applications by several other civil liberties, human rights and privacy associations, an Irish business group and a data protection expert to advise the court. In his judgment, McGovern said the U.S. has a "significant and bona fide interest in the outcome of the proceedings. ... The imposition of restrictions on the transfer of such data would have potentially considerable adverse effects on EU-US commerce and could affect US companies significantly." Applications from industry associations BSA|The Software Alliance and Digital Europe also were accepted as was one from the Electronic Privacy Information Center. McGovern said EPIC would "offer a counterbalancing perspective" to the U.S. government's stance. McGovern acknowledged that Max Schrems, the Austrian privacy activist who brought the complaint against Facebook, is an EPIC board member, but the judge said there are 93 other board members and Schrems won't provide any advice or help preparing submissions or have contact with the group. McGovern denied applications from the American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Irish Council of Civil Liberties and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, saying they wouldn't provide any particular assistance or new perspective. He also denied assistance from Ireland-based industry group IBEC and Kevin Cahill, who was described as an IT expert in the decision but who has been also identified as a U.K.-based journalist and data privacy campaigner in other media reports. The case, which was brought by Ireland's data protection commissioner, is expected to be transferred to the European Court of Justice soon.

The exemption to FCC Form 740 filing requirements for RF device imports (see 1607070061) is based on the actual import date and not the date-of-entry summary filing with Customs and Border Protection, said CBP in a notice. The FCC data must still be provided on the entry summary if the import date is before July 1, CBP said. That data isn't required for imports after July 1, it said. After July 23, CBP no longer will require FCC data filed electronically regardless of date of import, CBP said.

The EU isn't sufficiently protecting its own citizens' personal data and privacy rights in trade agreements, said a study commissioned by the European consumer alliance BEUC, Center for Digital Democracy, European Digital Rights and the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD). The study, by University of Amsterdam's Institute for Information Law, released Wednesday, said existing free-trade agreements like the General Agreement of Trade in Services and ones being negotiated like the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could challenge and potentially loosen EU privacy rules. CDD Executive Director Jeff Chester said in a joint news release Wednesday that the U.S. is pushing for an "unprecedented expansion of commercial data collection, threatening both consumers and citizens." He said companies like Facebook and Google want to use agreements like TTIP as a "digital 'Trojan Horse' that effectively sidesteps the EU’s human-rights-based data protection safeguards." TACD Senior Policy Adviser Anna Fielder said "the EU’s opaque and inconsistent system of granting third countries so-called ‘adequacy’ status for transferring personal data of its citizens makes it vulnerable to legal challenge by trade partners ... The EU must not make some partners more equal than others when deciding on the adequacy of their data protection laws." Study recommendations include "no direct effect" clauses in deals as a way to essentially stop challenges to privacy standards and having the European Data Protection Supervisor or the European Court of Justice provide opinions on proposed agreements.

Privacy Shield, the trans-Atlantic data transfer pact just approved by the European Commission, is "a good thing," wrote Michelle Dennedy, Cisco chief privacy officer, in a Tuesday blog post. She said the new self-certification agreement (see 1607120001), unlike its predecessor, safe harbor, provides checks and balances in U.S. government access to data and improves transparency and accountability of companies. Cisco intends to sign up for Privacy Shield, said Dennedy, but the company will continue to offer other mechanisms like model contractual clauses (see 1607060009). "As much as this may feel like a big compliance headache, one thing is certain," she said. "Both sides of the Atlantic take the need to address EU privacy concerns very seriously. Ultimately, it will drive trust in business and confidence with customers, regulators and citizens alike, and that is always a good thing."

Visteon completed its acquisition of AllGo Embedded Systems, an India-based supplier of embedded multimedia and smartphone connectivity software for the auto industry, the buyer said in a Monday announcement. The deal “supports Visteon’s global vehicle cockpit electronics business and enables Visteon to offer a highly integrated solution to automakers that includes multimedia software and codecs, and smartphone connectivity features,” Visteon said.

Europe plans to launch large-scale testing of connected car and autonomous vehicle technologies next year, including use of various high-speed wireless networks, several major trade associations said Thursday in a news release. The initiative was outlined in a EU-hosted meeting in Brussels Wednesday, said the groups, including the European Association of Automotive Suppliers, European Automobile Manufacturers Association, European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association, European Competitive Telecommunications Association and GSMA. The initiative will test functionalities, including cooperative collision avoidance, high density platooning, local-hazard warnings, remote control parking and traffic flow optimization across several EU countries, the release said. The testing will be in two phases, with the first, from 2017 to 2019, using 4G technology, and the second, running until 2021, using both 4G and 5G technologies, it said. The groups said cybersecurity, network latency, personal data protection, safety and service quality will be prioritized and addressed. A consortium of European telecom and automotive companies, which will be established later this year, will define the project's scope and negotiate potential co-financing with the EU and member states, the release said. "Trials will focus on addressing cross-border challenges such as the lack of harmonised spectrum, seamless network handover of vehicles at borders and open road infrastructure data," it said. "The trials will build on existing national projects and use their infrastructure where possible."

The FCC issued guidance on the July 1 suspension of Form 740 filing requirements. The agency temporarily waived the Form 740 requirements until the end of the year for imported RF devices due to the transition to automated commercial environment for customs. "This suspension only eliminates the filing requirements; all other requirements related to importation and to compliance with equipment authorization rules for radio frequency equipment continue to apply," the FCC said Wednesday.