Canadian Telecommunications Association and GSMA Convene Industry Leaders at “Inflection Point” For Canada’s Connectivity Future
The Canadian Telecommunications Association and the GSMA are hosting a one‑day conference, “Connecting Canada: Performance, Pressures, and Policy Priorities for Canada’s Telecommunications Sector,” on May 20, 2026, to address policy, investment and security challenges shaping Canada’s digital future. Executives warned that the sector is at an inflection point, with rising network demand colliding with slower economic growth and tighter regulatory pressure. The agenda covers spectrum expansion, next‑generation wireless, cyber‑threat mitigation and the strategic role of connectivity in economic competitiveness. The event seeks to align government, operators and ecosystem partners on a sustainable investment roadmap.
IOS 26.5 Brings E2EE ...
Apple’s iOS 26.5 update introduces end‑to‑end encryption (E2EE) for Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging, enabling secure chats between iPhone users and Android devices running the latest Google Messages. The rollout begins with a padlock icon indicating encrypted conversations, but activation depends...
GSMA Calls for Urgent Action to Protect Connectivity Resilience Across Africa
The GSMA warns that rising fuel costs are jeopardizing mobile network reliability across Africa, where connectivity underpins emergency services, finance, health and education. It calls for immediate fuel prioritisation for telecom sites, medium‑term classification of telecoms as critical infrastructure, and...
€475 Billion Required for Europe to Complete Its 5G Journey and Regain Digital Leadership, New GSMA Study Finds
The GSMA study estimates Europe must spend roughly $518 billion on mobile networks through 2035 to reach best‑in‑class 5G, but only about $294 billion (57% of the need) is likely to be funded, leaving a $224 billion gap. Full‑standalone 5G currently covers just...
Pleias and GSMA Launch ‘CommonLingua’, an Open Source Language Identification Model Supporting 61...
Pleias and the GSMA have released CommonLingua, an open‑source language‑identification model that covers 334 languages, including 61 African languages. The lightweight 2‑million‑parameter model achieves 83% accuracy and a macro‑F1 of 0.79 on the new CommonLID benchmark, beating leading LID systems...
GSMA Report Urges Japan to Take Bold Action to Convert Technical Excellence Into Global Digital Leadership
The GSMA released its “Digital Nations 2026: Accelerating the Digital Leap in Japan” report at the Digital Nation Summit in Tokyo, urging Japan to convert its technical strengths into global digital leadership. The study highlights three priority actions: completing the...
From Rich Text to Video: RCS Universal Profile 4.0 Has Arrived
GSMA announced the finalization of Rich Communication Services (RCS) Universal Profile 4.0, adding native video‑call initiation, rich‑text styling, and higher‑quality media handling. The update also enables streaming video within Rich Cards and more robust deep‑link management for business messaging. End‑to‑end encryption...
Mobile Money Accounted for $2 Trillion in Transactions in 2025, Doubling Since 2021 as Active Accounts Continue to Grow
Mobile money transaction volume surpassed $2 trillion in 2025, doubling the $1 trillion milestone reached four years earlier. The GSMA report shows registered accounts climbed to 2.3 billion, with active 30‑day users rising 15% to 593 million, driven largely by Sub‑Saharan Africa. Providers expanded...
GSMA MWC26 Barcelona Closes 20th Anniversary Edition
Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona marked its 20th anniversary, drawing nearly 105,000 attendees from 207 countries. The event featured 2,900 exhibitors showcasing AI, 5G, robotics and a record 40% C‑level speaker lineup. GSMA highlighted the broader ecosystem with 58%...
From Ambition to Execution: How Open Gateway Is Scaling the Global API Economy
Three years after its debut, GSMA Open Gateway has moved from ambition to execution, with 86 operator groups covering over 300 networks and 80% of global mobile connections adopting a common API framework. More than 60 channel partners, including hyperscalers...
GSMA Calls for Regulatory Readiness for Direct-to-User LEO Satellite Services
The GSMA released a position paper urging governments to modernise regulatory frameworks for direct‑to‑user Low‑Earth‑Orbit (LEO) satellite services. It highlights that existing rules are fragmented and often unsuitable for new satellite‑only offerings, creating uncertainty for operators and investors. The paper...
GSMA Foundry and ESA Announce Access to New Funding Worth up to €100M for AI, NTN, D2D and 6G at MWC26 Barcelona
GSMA Foundry and the European Space Agency announced up to €100 million in new funding to accelerate AI‑driven non‑terrestrial networks (NTN), direct‑to‑device (D2D) connectivity, 5G/6G hub testbeds and early‑stage 6G innovation. The programme builds on a 2024 partnership and aims to...
GSMA Launches Open Telco AI to Accelerate Development of Telco‑grade AI
GSMA has unveiled Open Telco AI, an industry‑wide platform that supplies open‑weight models, data libraries, compute resources and benchmark tools tailored for telecom applications. The initiative brings together operators, vendors, AI developers and academia, with AT&T and AMD contributing models and GPU...
GSMA and Wing Announce Nova Future Summit, a New Event for Trailblazing Technology and Connectivity Leaders
GSMA and Wing Venture Capital announced the Nova Future Summit, an invite‑only, closed‑door event for senior technology and telecom leaders. The three‑day summit will be held in Napa, California, from September 28‑30, bringing together CEOs, C‑suite executives, venture capitalists, and...
GSMA Foundry and NUHS Singapore to Drive 5G and AI Innovations in Healthcare Through New Strategic Partnership
GSMA Foundry has signed a strategic partnership with Singapore’s National University Health System (NUHS) to accelerate 5G‑enabled, AI‑driven healthcare solutions. The collaboration will leverage private 5G networks, digital twins, XR, IoT and ambient AI to enable remote surgical assistance, immersive...