LG Uplus Gets Physical on USIM Security Update
LG Uplus has launched a free USIM replacement programme to fix a weakness in IMSI number security. The rollout began on 8 April and has already attracted at least 157,811 customers who booked store visits for the swap, with extra staff on hand to manage demand. The new USIMs replace identifiers that previously incorporated parts of phone numbers with random numbering, aligning with the operator’s shift to subscriber concealed identifier (SUCI) technology for encrypted 5G transmission. The effort seeks to prevent the chaotic retail scenes experienced by rival SK Telecom after its 2025 data breach.
Retailer Lidl Plots MVNO Push Across Its Markets
Lidl, the German discount supermarket chain, is expanding its mobile‑virtual‑network‑operator (MVNO) business to as many as 30 countries after signing a five‑year deal with telecom platform provider 1Global. The agreement grants the Schwarz Group a 9.9% equity stake in 1Global...
EU Considers Toughening up on ChatGPT
The European Commission is evaluating whether to classify OpenAI’s ChatGPT as a large online search engine under the Digital Services Act. OpenAI disclosed that ChatGPT had 120.4 million average monthly active users in the EU, surpassing the 45 million threshold that triggers...
Space Compass Forges Optical Satellite Relay Pact
Space Compass signed a memorandum of understanding with Apolink and JSAT International to develop optical data‑relay technology that links geosynchronous (GEO) and low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellites. The agreement will explore both technical feasibility and commercial potential, initially focusing on integrating Apolink’s...
Rogers Unveils Red Scheme for Small Businesses
Rogers Communications launched the Red Partner programme, a point‑of‑sale and credit‑card offering aimed at Canadian small‑ and medium‑sized businesses. The scheme promises a 20% reduction in transaction fees and a tiered cashback model—1% on all purchases and 3% at participating...
NTT Builds Remote Digger Foundations
NTT Group partnered with Japanese builder Taisei to remotely operate heavy construction equipment using its Innovative Optical and Wireless Network All Photonic Network (IOWN APN). The trial in February linked two sites via private 5G and 60 GHz WiGig, allowing a...
FCC Eyes Tougher Rules on Chinese Telcos
The FCC announced it will consider banning China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile from operating data centers in the United States. The agency says it has tentatively found national‑security risks from these firms and is seeking public comment before...
Telefonica Launches 5G Drone Service in Spain
Telefonica Spain has launched an end‑to‑end 5G drone service that combines remote piloting, a “drone‑in‑a‑box” hardware platform, and edge‑enabled software for industrial and public‑sector clients. The offering is managed from the T_Space facility in Madrid and leverages 5G network slicing,...
Sateliot Seeks €100M in Latest Funding Round
Sateliot, the Spanish low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellite operator, has opened a Series C round seeking roughly $108 million to finance the launch of 16 additional 5G‑capable satellites. The company already has six satellites in orbit and plans to add five more this year,...
NTT Boosts Domestic Data Centre Capacity
NTT Data has opened the OSK11 data centre in Kyoto, adding 30 MW of AI‑ready capacity. The facility features dual‑power substations, carrier‑neutral connectivity and redundant air‑cooling with multi‑factor access controls. It is the 14th domestic site operated by NTT Global Data...
T-Mobile US Readies AI Live Translation Trial
T‑Mobile US will begin beta testing AI Live Translation, a real‑time language conversion service that runs natively on its standalone 5G core and agentic AI platform. The feature works over Wi‑Fi and all mobile technologies except 2G, allowing any T‑Mobile...
Ericsson, Orange Maroc Promote Private 5G
Ericsson and Orange Maroc have teamed up to build a private 5G laboratory in Marrakech, showcasing advanced radio and core technologies for B2B use cases. The testbed will demonstrate connectivity solutions for logistics, utilities, energy, mining and port operations, supporting Morocco's...
Telenor Facing Legal Action over Myanmar Claims
Telenor is facing a Norwegian class‑action lawsuit filed by the Justice and Accountability Initiative on behalf of Myanmar customers, accusing the telecom of handing over user data and surveillance technology to the military junta. The suit alleges that at least...
NTT Targets GNSS Positioning Boost
NTT Docomo Business upgraded its Mobile GNSS positioning service with a new receiver that fuses RTK correction data and a nine‑axis sensor, delivering higher accuracy and availability in signal‑blocked areas. The device doubles battery life, adds an LTE module and...
T-Mobile US Boosts Motorola Emergency Radio Service
T‑Mobile US and Motorola Solutions have integrated T‑Priority 5G and T‑Satellite Starlink connectivity into Motorola’s smart radios, extending mission‑critical communications beyond terrestrial networks. The hybrid solution links land mobile radio, 5G and low‑earth‑orbit satellites, delivering higher capacity, speed and resilience...
Boeing Delivers Latest Viasat Bird
Boeing has handed over the Viasat-3 F3 satellite, a 6‑metric‑ton bird built on an enhanced 702MP+ platform, to satellite operator Viasat. The satellite, slated for a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch from Cape Canaveral, will join F1 and F2 in geosynchronous...
Globalstar Eyes 5G Opportunity From Growing Enterprise AI Use
Globalstar unveiled its XCOM RAN private 5G platform, an end‑to‑end solution that bundles three radios, a core network, an orchestrator and an industrial router. The system adheres to open RAN standards and works on the US shared spectrum n48, the...
Intelligence Brief: Why 5G Coverage Is No Longer the Goal in 2026
By the end of 2025, 5G connections topped 2.7 billion, cementing the technology as the fastest‑growing mobile network. The GSMA Intelligence 5G Connectivity Index shows that while basic coverage and affordability have improved worldwide, advanced capabilities such as standalone (SA) 5G,...
Ericsson, Smart Boost Meta Messenger Quality
Smart Communications partnered with Ericsson to upgrade its Luzon‑area network specifically for Meta Platforms’ Messenger service. The joint effort fine‑tuned network parameters, cutting round‑trip latency, slashing packet loss, and boosting video‑call bitrate for millions of Filipino users. Improvements also spill...
OpenAI Releases AI Economy Policy Proposals
OpenAI unveiled an "Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age" outlining a suite of self‑regulatory proposals aimed at steering the rapid expansion of advanced AI. The plan calls for a public wealth fund, treating foundational models as essential infrastructure, and accelerating...
Docomo Completes Mobile Core Virtualisation
NTT Docomo has finished virtualising its entire mobile core network, including the 5G standalone core, evolved packet core (EPC) and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), by running them as software on general‑purpose servers. The transition was executed with Cisco, Dell Technologies...
Starlink Shines Bright in Asia-Pacific
SpaceX’s Starlink is accelerating its direct‑to‑device (D2D) rollout across the Asia‑Pacific, with launch dates confirmed for New Zealand’s Spark and Japan’s NTT Docomo, while SoftBank announced future plans. Spark’s offering mixes free access with a NZD10 (~$5.70) fee tier, targeting remote and...
Siemens Expands Private 5G Play
Siemens announced a major expansion of its private 5G portfolio, adding the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Finland, France, Norway, and Poland to its footprint, now spanning 15 countries across Europe and the Americas. The U.S. launch will rely...
Rockwell, SLB Exit Oil, Gas Automation JV
Rockwell Automation and SLB announced the formal dissolution of their Sensia joint venture, created in 2019 to deliver digital automation solutions for the oil and gas sector. Under the split, Rockwell will assume full ownership of the Process Automation Business...
TIM CEO Presses for Quicker Regulatory Decisions
TIM chief executive Pietro Labriola warned that European regulators are still too slow, despite becoming “more sensible,” and urged faster decision‑making in the AI‑driven era. He highlighted how technology adoption has accelerated—from 75 years for 100 million phone lines to just two...
OpenAI Closes $122B Funding Round
OpenAI announced a record $122 billion funding round, pushing its valuation to roughly $852 billion. The round was led by Amazon, Nvidia and SoftBank, which together contributed $110 billion, with Amazon alone committing $50 billion. OpenAI said the capital will fuel compute expansion, research...
Vodafone Pushes EU over Comms Market Unity
Vodafone’s chief external and corporate affairs officer Joakim Reiter warned EU regulators that fragmented telecom rules undermine the bloc’s single‑market ambitions. He argued that inconsistent regulations, unlike those in energy and capital markets, threaten investment in advanced networks such as...
US, AT&T Agree $2B Public Safety Deal
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced a renegotiated FirstNet contract in which AT&T will invest $1 billion and simultaneously cut $1 billion in project costs, creating a $2 billion value proposition for public‑safety communications. The deal accelerates deployment of a dedicated 5G Core...
Huawei Chair Steadfast on Strategy in Uncertain Times
Huawei’s 2025 annual report shows modest but steady growth, with revenue rising 2.2% to CNY880.9 billion (≈$126 billion) and net profit climbing to CNY68 billion (≈$9.7 billion). The Intelligent Automotive Solutions unit surged 72.1% to CNY45 billion (≈$6.4 billion), while cloud services fell 3.5% to CNY32.2 billion...
Telia Taps Mobile Signals to Aid Avalanche Rescue
Telia Norway has launched a rescue platform that leverages mobile‑phone signals to pinpoint people buried in avalanches. When the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre reports an incident, Telia feeds GPS coordinates into its system, which scans its network for active or...
Space Start-Ups Gain Siemens Nous
Siemens has joined the European Space Agency’s EPIC programme, offering its Xcelerator software suite and digital‑twin capabilities to start‑ups nurtured by ESA Business Incubation Centres. The partnership gives fledgling space firms access to virtual design, simulation and engineering tools that...
Huawei Joins Orange Carbon Cutting Scheme
Huawei became the tenth company to join Orange’s Partners to Net Zero Carbon programme, which aims to cut the operator’s greenhouse‑gas emissions by 45% from 2020 levels by 2030. The initiative focuses on supply‑chain improvements, targeting Orange’s 40 most emission‑intensive...
Broadcasters Warn Operators on 5G API Gap
A coalition of broadcasters—including Sony, BBC, France Televisions and Neutral Wireless—has urged mobile operators to expose standardized QoD and QoS APIs through the GSMA Open Gateway. The request targets the CAMARA API set to give broadcasters real‑time control over 5G resources, improving...
NTT East Goes on Private 5G RIC Roll
NTT East, a unit of Japan’s NTT conglomerate, completed a landmark private‑5G laboratory trial using O‑RAN Alliance‑defined RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs) with 26 vendor partners. The multi‑vendor tests achieved a 98.5% success rate across 335 device combinations, validating interoperability and...
Telenor, GlobalConnect Fibre Deal Facing Hurdles
Norway’s competition authority has raised red flags over Telenor’s planned purchase of GlobalConnect’s fibre business, warning that the deal could lift broadband prices and degrade service quality by curbing competition. Regulators highlighted that many households might be left with only...
Bell Sells LMR Services Unit to Motorola
Bell Canada agreed to sell its land mobile radio (LMR) services business to Motorola Solutions for CAD 675 million, roughly US$487 million. The transaction, which includes a deferred net working capital settlement and customary adjustments, is slated to close in Q4 pending regulatory...
The Friday File: TIM; OpenAI; SpaceX
OpenAI abruptly shut down its Sora video‑generation app, terminating a $1 billion Disney content licence and shifting compute resources toward enterprise AI and robotics. Poste Italiane launched a €10.8 billion (≈$11.9 billion) bid for Telecom Italia, offering a 9 % premium and promising to...
Mobile Payments Take Lead in Dutch Market
In 2025 Dutch consumers used smartphones and smartwatches for mobile payments more often than debit cards, according to Betaalvereniging Nederland. Nearly six out of ten debit‑linked transactions were made via a mobile device, up from four out of ten in...
Cybersecurity Tops List of Infrastructure Deal Risks
Research by S‑RM shows cybersecurity has become the top reason digital and telecom infrastructure deals collapse, with 76 % of 150 global investors citing cyber concerns as the primary blocker. Over the past three years, 65 % of those investors experienced at...
Apple Bolsters US Manufacturing with New Partners
Apple has expanded its American Manufacturing Programme (AMP) by adding four new partners—Bosch, Cirrus Logic, TDK and Qnity Electronics—bringing fresh capacity to U.S. production of critical components. The move is backed by a $400 million investment through 2030, part of Apple’s...
Analyst Claims SpaceX, Globalstar Deal Edging Closer
Satellite analyst Tim Farrar says SpaceX is close to buying Globalstar for about $10 billion, after a sale process that began in October 2025. The acquisition would cement Starlink’s dominance in the direct‑to‑device (D2D) market and block Amazon’s bid to broaden...
SK Hynix Reveals Plan for US Listing in 2026
South Korean memory chipmaker SK Hynix disclosed to the U.S. SEC that it is preparing a public offering of American Depositary Receipts, targeting a 2026 listing on a U.S. exchange. The company said the size, method and timing remain under...
PTA Gives Green Light to Ufone-Telenor Merger
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has given technical approval for the merger of Ufone, a PTCL subsidiary, with Telenor Pakistan, creating the country’s second‑largest mobile operator. The combined entity will control just over 70 million connections, trailing Jazz’s 73.9 million users. Legal clearance...
Hughes Offers Multi-Orbit, Beam Satellite Modem
Hughes Network Systems, an EchoStar subsidiary, introduced the HM400, a software‑defined satellite modem that can operate on both medium‑Earth‑orbit (MEO) and geosynchronous‑Earth‑orbit (GEO) constellations. The modem leverages artificial‑intelligence to automatically switch between satellite beams, delivering continuous connectivity for manned and...
Turkcell Secures $1B Deal to Fund 5G Rollout
Turkcell secured a $1 billion syndicated loan from 14 banks to fund its 5G and next‑generation network rollout, ahead of Turkey’s April 1 launch. The facility, initially offered at $500 million under a Murabaha structure, was oversubscribed and doubled in size. HSBC acted...
Telefonica Bags Madrid Critical Comms Contract
Spain’s Telefónica Soluciones de Informática y Comunicaciones de España has secured a five‑year contract to upgrade and manage Madrid’s central emergency communications system. The deal involves modernising the city’s digital TETRA network with new hardware, software and a unified dispatch...
SK Hynix Lines up $8B EUV Order with ASML
South Korean memory leader SK Hynix has signed a KRW11.95 trillion (~$8 billion) contract with Dutch lithography supplier ASML to acquire up to 20 extreme ultraviolet (EUV) scanners over the next two years. The agreement covers equipment, installation and modification costs, with...
Apple C1X RF Modem Approaches Qualcomm X80 Levels
Apple’s C1X RF modem has reached performance parity with Qualcomm’s X80, according to Ookla data covering Q4 2025. The new modem delivers comparable median download speeds, latency, and edge‑cell throughput across most markets, narrowing the gap that previously favored Qualcomm. Tests...
Orange Board Nominates Next Chairman
Orange announced that Frédéric Sanchez will succeed Jacques Aschenbroich as chairman, assuming the role in May 2026. Sanchez, who chairs Orange’s Strategy and Technology committee and has been an independent director since 2020, brings extensive experience from his tenure at...
T-Mobile US Tees up Private 5G for MLB In-Game Calls
Major League Baseball will use T‑Mobile’s private 5G networks to power its Automated Ball‑Strike (ABS) challenge system for the 2024 season. The operator has deployed the network across all 30 stadiums, enabling high‑speed transmission of Hawk‑Eye camera data to verify...
