Operators: fixed networks 24-01-05 N48

Verizon and Yahoo! will offer, free of charge, co-branded broadband offering to subscribers to Online's DSL and new fiber-based FiOS services.

BT and Qwest have signed a wholesale interconnection agreement to exchange international voice phone traffic.

Cesky Telecom (Czech Rep.) has cut ADSL internet fee by 44% to $41 and activation charge by 97% to $4. It currently has 100k users.

NTL (UK) announced the launch of its Video on Demand digital TV service, ntl On Demand.

Telewest Broadband (UK) has launched a movies-on-demand service in Bristol.

Chunghwa Telecom (Taiwan) has opened its Multimedia On Demand (MOD) service, based on Alcatel’s Open Media Suite.

Liberty Media and UGC will merge into Liberty Global.

WiMAX Telecom (Switzerland) plans to rollout a WiMAX national infrastructure across the country before the end of 2005.

China Telecom has embarked on building a new 2,300-km-long optical transmission network in east and south China.

China Netcom will buy a 20% stake in PCCW (Hong Kong) for $ 1bn.

Level3 targets expansion in Eastern Europe; its IP services are now offered in Prague, Czech Rep.

Telecom Italia is interested in Tiscali pan-European backbone network.