British Telecom is desperately trying to back away from a story that appeared in The Independent over the weekend, about its plans to offer Video-over-DSL service. It has got the whole country up in arms there, especially the Murdoch-owned politicians. Staying in UK, The Cloud, which runs wi-fi hot spots across the pond has snagged undisclosed amount of capital from 3i and Accel Partners. The business was launched a year ago and began by installing wireless internet access in pubs. Beer and Wireless internet, shit even I would fund this company.

Pakistan’s Telnor is getting on to the GSM bandwagon and buying gear from Nokia….Things however are not that rosy for Nokia in China, where Ningbo Bird is trying to raise $80 million and boost capacity for its CDMA handset business. Across the planet, Nextel is The Voice of The Worker. And a profitable one. Talking about Nextel, always brings up the other phone company, Verizon Wireless. (Well whining does increase recall value of the brand!)…. Verizon, after a FCC smackdown has snapped up the Nextwave spectrum. Verizon Wireless has started selling Treo 600 smartphone, and has awared Lucent a mammoth $5 billion contract for next generation network upgrade. Nice one for Lucent.

Talking about fallen stars, XO Communications is asking indi-phone companies to use its nationwide infrastructure to offer local services, now that UNE-P has been confined to the mortuary. Or they could wait for FCC to come up temporary rules, as per Powell who is out on the west coast trying to pass himself as a visionary in a city of posers. And lastly, in a strange twist of fate, Massively Corrupt Institution aka MCI wants its $300 million back from Corruptor in Chief aka Bernie Ebbers and has failed a suit against him.

[Ed: There were too many small items not worthy of a rant, and Monday was especially busy so the best of the rest have been rolled into this potpourri of news.]