Orange and WEF Launch Tool to Map Cybercrime
Orange’s Cyberdefense unit and the World Economic Forum have launched Cosmos, a new component of the WEF’s Cybercrime Atlas initiative. Using open‑source research and Orange’s threat‑intelligence platform, Cosmos will build a universal taxonomy and interactive knowledge‑graph of the global cyber‑crime ecosystem. The pro‑bono effort aims to help law‑enforcement, researchers and private firms coordinate across borders to disrupt criminal networks. Similar telecom AI projects show growing industry focus on collaborative cyber‑defense.
Google AI Chips Get a $5bn Vote of Confidence From Blackstone
Blackstone is forming a joint venture with Google to build AI data centres powered by Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs). The partnership includes a $5 billion equity commitment from Blackstone’s AI arm, BXN1, and aims to bring 500 MW of TPU compute...
O2 Germany's Public Cloud Migration Begins in Earnest
During Q1, Telefónica Germany moved its 4G/5G voice services for the first 100,000 customers to a cloud‑native IMS hosted on Amazon Web Services, making it the first European operator to run a voice core in a public cloud. The solution,...
Rakuten and KDDI Are Locked in an Epic Power Struggle
Japan’s NEDO has selected Rakuten and KDDI for a joint research program aimed at slashing data‑centre and mobile‑network power consumption by roughly 40% by 2030. The five‑strand initiative tackles virtualised network optimisation, AI‑driven RAN tuning, compact cooling for compute hardware,...
SKT to Develop Military AI Models
South Korea's leading telecom operator SK Telecom has teamed up with the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Science and ICT to launch the Defence AI Transformation (AX) programme. The partnership will adapt SKT's massive A.X K1 language...
Change Afoot in UK TV Market
UK broadcaster ITV continues talks with Sky over a possible sale of its media and entertainment (M&E) division, valued at roughly £1.6 billion ($2.0 billion). The M&E unit, which contributes just over half of ITV’s revenue, posted £477 million ($606 million) in Q1, a...
Rakuten Mobile's Q1 EBITDA Improves on Subs Growth
Rakuten Mobile posted a modest EBITDA of just over ¥1 billion ($6.6 million) in Q1, marking a steady improvement from the ¥102 million it recorded a year earlier. The operator’s subscriber base grew to 10.4 million, driving a 23.9% revenue surge to ¥108 billion (about...
KDDI and Ericsson Claim Gains with AI Uplink Field Trial
KDDI and Ericsson completed a live field trial in Japan using Ericsson’s AI‑driven Uplink Interference Optimizer (UIO) rApp on the Intelligent Automation platform. The test spanned roughly 1,500 5G and 1,300 4G cells and delivered a 9.6% uplift in 4G...
Ericsson Joins Nordic Alliance Aiming to Improve Regional Competitiveness
Ericsson has joined the newly formed Nordic Compass alliance, which brings together the largest Nordic companies and foundations to drive initiatives in capital markets, deep‑tech, defence and energy. The alliance, also joined by Nokia, is positioned as a faster‑moving alternative...
Fairly Solid Vodafone Numbers Fail to Impress
Vodafone reported an 8% rise in group revenue to €40.5 bn ($44 bn) for the year to March, helped by service growth and the integration of Three UK. Adjusted EBITDAaL grew 3.8% to €11.4 bn ($12.4 bn) and operating profit returned to the black...
Telenet Taps Red Hat for Private Cloud Infrastructure
Telenet Business, the managed‑service arm of Belgium’s Telenet, has partnered with Red Hat to build a sovereign private‑cloud using Red Hat OpenShift. The solution consolidates virtual machines and container workloads on bare‑metal across two regional data centres, providing a single management layer...
D2D Satellite Operators Are Not Serving the Needs of MNOs
At Mobile World Congress 2026, D2D satellite providers showcased numerous contracts with mobile network operators, suggesting imminent large‑scale rollouts. In reality, deployments remain confined to a handful of markets and only basic services such as NB‑IoT, messaging, and narrowband data,...
EchoStar TV Business Struggles but Wireless Inches Up
EchoStar’s pay‑TV business continued to erode in Q1, shedding 366,000 subscribers and seeing revenue dip more than 10% to $2.29 billion, which pulled group revenue down 5% to $3.67 billion. The wireless arm, though much smaller, added about 16,000 net customers, lifting...
Vodafone Launches 5G FWA Offer in the UK
Vodafone has launched a 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband service in the UK, targeting 3.7 million homes without full‑fibre coverage. The offering delivers up to 150 Mbps (or 50 Mbps in weaker spots) with no upfront kit cost and monthly plans starting...
Unexpected Price Rises Push O2 to the Top of Ofcom’s Latest Complaints
O2 topped Ofcom’s mobile complaint list in Q4 2025, registering seven complaints per 100,000 subscribers – roughly seven times the rate of EE and Three and double the industry average for contract‑related issues. The surge stemmed from an unexpected price increase...
SoftBank Launches ¥100 Billion AI Batteries Business
SoftBank announced the launch of an AI‑batteries business targeting ¥100 billion (about $720 million) in revenue by fiscal 2030. The plan uses the former Sharp plant in Osaka to house an AI data centre, an AX factory for AI hardware, and a...
Openreach to Halt Copper Sales for Another 1.69 Million Premises
Openreach will halt sales of legacy copper services in any exchange where more than 75% of premises can be served by full‑fibre, triggering a "stop‑sell" rule for 1,432 exchanges covering roughly 14.2 million homes. The move affects about 61% of Openreach’s...
Telefónica Launches Sovereign Data Sharing Platform
Telefónica has launched a sovereign data‑sharing platform, unveiled in Barcelona, that creates multi‑sectoral data spaces where organisations can exchange structured data without centralising it. The federated architecture preserves data sovereignty, offering tools for access control, digital contracts, usage policies, semantic...
EU Pushes Back AI Act Timelines
The European Parliament and Council have agreed to push back key provisions of the AI Act, moving high‑risk AI rules to 2 December 2027 and product‑related rules to 2 August 2028. The delay follows criticism from a coalition of 59 tech firms, including Meta...
Helios Ups Guidance on Back of Strong Tenancy Pipeline
Helios Towers raised its tenancy guidance to 3,000‑3,500 new sites this year, a 1,000‑unit increase over the forecast issued two months earlier. The company now reports 33,350 tenancies, pushing its tenancy ratio to 2.22× and exceeding its 2.2× target ahead...
Vodafone Signs German Sovereign Cloud Deal with AWS
Vodafone has sealed a partnership with Amazon Web Services to deliver a sovereign cloud offering for German enterprises and public‑sector clients. Leveraging its recent acquisition of Skaylink, Vodafone will provide migration assistance using AWS‑certified staff and ensure all data resides...
Poste Italiane Aims to Close TIM Takeover in Q3
Poste Italiane announced it aims to close its €10.8 billion ($11.8 billion) voluntary offer for TIM in the third quarter, alongside a stronger‑than‑expected Q1 earnings report. The postal group says its solid balance sheet and cash flow position it to fund digital...
Biden Era Digital Discrimination FCC Rule Inevitably Overturned
A U.S. appeals court has invalidated the FCC's 2023 digital discrimination rule, finding it exceeds the agency's statutory authority by policing disparate impact rather than disparate treatment. The decision was praised by FCC Chair Brendan Carr and the U.S. Chamber...
Tablet Market Comes in Flat for Q1
The global tablet market posted flat year‑over‑year shipments in Q1 2026, with a typical seasonal dip in the quarter. Growth was driven by inventory build‑up in Latin America and the Middle East‑Africa, not by end‑user demand, prompting a cautious outlook. Apple...
The Lock-In Loophole that Could Derail Cellular IoT
Cellular IoT, expected to power billions of devices, is finally gaining momentum thanks to the GSMA's SGP.32 eSIM specification. However, a hidden flaw—63% of eSIM remote managers (eIMs) are non‑configurable—creates a new lock‑in risk. Non‑configurable eIMs prevent adding alternative managers,...
Verizon Uses Digital Twins to Defend Against Storm Damage
Verizon is deploying a digital‑twin system that uses high‑resolution 3D drone imagery and AI to map cell‑site damage after storms, letting engineers plan repairs without onsite visits. The carrier is also testing permanent satellite backhaul at storm‑prone macro‑cells in the...
Telenor to Have Another Go at Weaning Itself Off US Hyperscalers
Telenor will launch Telenor Sovereign Cloud in the first half of 2025 as a distinct unit within Telenor Infrastructure. The service will operate from Norwegian‑controlled data centres, fully isolated from commercial global cloud providers, to satisfy strict security and data‑sovereignty...
BT Teams up with STACKIT for Sovereign Cloud Push
British telecom BT is linking its Global Fabric network‑as‑a‑service to German sovereign‑cloud provider STACKIT, initially offering internet peering and later a private connectivity option. The collaboration lets organisations outside the EU reach STACKIT’s GDPR‑compliant data centres without traversing the public...
High ARPU Does Not Mean Better Network Performance – Analyst
Ookla’s new study reveals that Europe’s most congested mobile markets during evening peak hours are Spain, Ireland and Switzerland, with Spain scoring the worst at 62 out of 100. Despite Switzerland’s record‑high mobile ARPU of €50.90 (≈$55) and 74% 5G...
FCC Overhauls Satellite Spectrum Rules
The FCC announced it will scrap the decades‑old equivalent power flux density (EPFD) rules that capped interference from non‑geostationary satellites. Instead, operators will negotiate interference protections through voluntary, good‑faith agreements, a move the commission says could lift LEO satellite throughput...
Physical AI Moves Into the Home Through Familiar
Former iRobot co‑founder Colin Angle has launched Familiar Machines, unveiling a robot called the Familiar that functions as an empathetic, dog‑like companion for the home. The device listens, watches, and responds to household rhythms, positioning itself as a non‑judgmental supporter...
Vodafone Buys CK Hutchison Out of UK JV for £4.3 Billion
Vodafone has agreed to buy CK Hutchison's 49% stake in the UK joint venture VodafoneThree for £4.3 billion (about $5.5 billion), pending regulatory clearance. The acquisition will give Vodafone full ownership of the operator, which now runs one of Europe’s most advanced...
Kyivstar Spent More Money Quicker than Expected
Kyivstar, owned by Veon, accelerated its $1 billion five‑year investment, spending $1.3 billion in just three years. The extra capital funded the construction of over 6,000 new LTE sites in 2025, pushing 4G coverage to 96.2% of the Ukrainian population and targeting...
BT Mobile Could Be Coming Back
BT is set to announce the revival of its BT Mobile brand at a Wembley event next week, targeting the mass‑market segment. The relaunch aligns with CEO Allison Kirkby’s push to reposition BT as a national telco and to boost...
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Indosat Attributes Highest Ever Quarterly Revenue to AI Personalisation
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison posted a record Q1 2026 revenue of IDR 15.2 trillion (≈ $1.0 billion), up 12% YoY, with EBITDA of IDR 7.2 trillion (≈ $480 million) and net profit of IDR 1.5 trillion (≈ $100 million), a 26% rise. The carrier credits its AI‑driven hyper‑personalization strategy for a 15% jump in...
Samsung Surprises on Phone Front as Chip Prices Drive Record Profit
Samsung shipped 65.4 million smartphones in Q1, an 8% year‑over‑year rise that kept it ahead of Apple’s 60.4 million units. Global handset shipments grew only 1% as vendors front‑loaded inventory, creating a looming overhang. Samsung’s Device Solutions division drove record Q1 revenue...
Kinetic Tokens, Physical AI, and the Next Telecom Evolution
Telecom networks are evolving from pure data carriers to AI‑native platforms that can trigger real‑world actions through kinetic tokens. Kinetic tokens, coined by T‑Mobile’s CTO, extend traditional informational packets by initiating physical tasks such as robot movements or energy adjustments....
Nokia Sells FWA Business to US Specialist Inseego
US‑based Inseego is acquiring Nokia’s fixed wireless access (FWA) business, receiving 7% of Inseego’s equity valued at roughly $20 million, while Nokia also purchases an additional 4% stake in Inseego for $10 million. The transaction aligns with Nokia’s broader strategic shift to...
Telefónica Goes on the Defensive with Sateliot Tie-Up
Telefónica Spain announced a partnership with Barcelona‑based Sateliot to integrate the startup’s low‑Earth‑orbit satellite constellation with its terrestrial 5G NR network. The collaboration will extend narrowband IoT (NB‑IoT) and future direct‑to‑device (D2D) connectivity to remote, maritime and unconnected areas, targeting...
Cellnex Keen to Cooperate with European M&A
Cellnex reported a 4.7% year‑on‑year revenue increase to €984 million ($1.07 bn) in Q1 2026, driven by strong demand across its tower portfolio. The French market, which provides 22% of revenue, is under uncertainty as Orange, Iliad and Bouygues negotiate a €20.35 billion...
Altice's Headline Financials Fall as Takeover Bid Ticks On
Altice reported a continued revenue decline in 2025, with sales slipping 8.4% to €9.2 billion (about $10 billion). Adjusted EBITDA fell 11.7% to €2.9 billion ($3.2 billion), pushing the margin down to 31.8%. The mobile subscriber base remained flat at 19.4 million, adding only 19,000...
Britain Must Act Now on AI, Reckons UK Government
At a Royal United Services Institute event, the UK Technology Secretary warned that nations falling behind in artificial intelligence could lose control over their security and economic future. She noted that five firms dominate 70% of global AI compute and...
Boldyn Bigs up Its Role in UK's Troubled ESN Rollout
Boldyn, formerly BAI Communications, is confirming that its 4G neutral‑host network across the London Underground will also serve the UK Emergency Services Network (ESN). The rollout, covering 137 Tube, DLR and Overground stations, is slated for completion by the end...
EE Hits 5G+ Milestone Ahead of Schedule
EE has surpassed its original goal of delivering 5G SA (5G+) to 41 million people, adding coverage in 15 new locations across the UK and Northern Ireland. The operator is refarming its 2100 MHz spectrum on more than 4,000 sites, with another...
EU Wants to Force Google to Make Android Play Nice with All AI Services
The European Commission has unveiled a draft regulation that would require Google’s Android operating system to allow seamless integration of third‑party AI assistants, breaking the current default bias toward Google’s Gemini. Android commands roughly 60% of the EU smartphone market,...
Ericsson and Swisscom Roll Out New Energy Platform for Networks
Ericsson and Swisscom have launched an Energy & Enclosure platform that integrates into Swisscom’s radio access network in Switzerland. The solution combines high‑efficiency power hardware, AI‑driven battery management, lithium storage and a Site Controller 6610 to deliver automated load‑shifting, peak shaving...
Digital Darwinism: Why Automation Evolution Is Crucial to Telcos' Survival
The telecom sector faces a "digital Darwinism" moment, where survival hinges on evolving from legacy, hardware‑centric networks to AI‑driven, autonomous architectures. Only 6% of operators have reached Level 4 autonomous capabilities, yet 73% plan to achieve it by 2030. High‑value use...
Verizon Ups Guidance as Q1 Report Serves up Mixed Messages
Verizon reported a rare post‑paid phone net addition of 55,000 in Q1 2026, the first positive quarterly gain since 2013, bringing total connections to 93.9 million. The company’s fibre business added 127,000 customers, reaching 10.8 million, while fixed‑wireless access grew to 6 million....
What Use Are Statements of AI Principles?
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman published a five‑point "Our Principles" manifesto, pledging to democratize artificial general intelligence (AGI) and place it in the hands of many. The principles emphasize democratic decision‑making, empowerment, universal prosperity, societal resilience, and adaptability. Critics argue the...
NTT to Triple Data Centre Capacity as Part of AI-Native Network Plan
Japanese telecom giant NTT announced an AI‑native infrastructure plan, AIOWN, to triple its data‑centre capacity to 1 GW by 2033. The company currently operates 160 sites with 300 MW of power and is adding three new centres—Tochigi (100 MW), Inzai/Shiroi (250 MW) and a...