Spanish 3G winner to axe 440 jobs

NEWS Spanish 3G winner Xfera announced it is to cut nearly three-quarters of its workforce as the company struggles in the wake of 3G roll-out delays. The company - backed by Vivendi and Finland's Sonera - will axe a total of 440 employees. The telco does not possess a 2G licence to subsist on while next-generation networks are being developed and the Spanish government in October refused to give Xfera a GSM license. The company previously anticipated a 2001 launch of 3G in accordance with the Spanish government, but it had to reschedule the launch of its service when it became apparent 3G technology was far from ready.